Korean workers detained by U.S. immigration authorities are released from an ICE detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, early on September 11 (local time) and transported to Atlanta Airport to board a chartered flight home. /Yonhap News

A total of 316 Korean workers who had been detained by U.S. immigration authorities at the construction site of Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution’s battery plant in Georgia boarded a flight home on September 11 (local time), a week after their detention.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the detained Koreans boarded a chartered flight bound for Korea at around 12 p.m. at Atlanta Airport. They are expected to arrive at Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of the 12th, Korea time. Earlier that day, beginning at 1:27 a.m., they boarded chartered buses arranged in front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office in Folkston, Georgia, and traveled for about seven to eight hours via ICE-designated routes to reach Atlanta Airport.

In total, 317 Koreans (307 men and 10 women) were detained, of whom one chose to remain in the U.S. Including 14 foreign nationals detained in the same crackdown, 10 from China, three from Japan, and one from Indonesia, a total of 330 people are returning to Korea.

Cho Hyun, Korea’s Foreign Minister, who is visiting the U.S., told reporters at the Korean Embassy in Washington the previous day, “Our nationals currently in custody will be able to board a plane and return home on the 11th. We confirmed once again with the U.S. side that no handcuffs would be used in the process.” After meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House earlier in the day, Cho also confirmed that the released workers would not face disadvantages when re-entering the U.S. and that no record of “illegal stay” would remain. He added, “We received a clear assurance from the U.S. side that there will be no problem for these individuals to return to the U.S. for work in the future.”

Minister Cho further proposed to Secretary Rubio the creation of a new visa category for specialized Korean workers. The two sides agreed to form a working group between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State Department to promptly discuss the establishment of such a visa.