Departing from the detention facility between 2 and 4 AM on the 11th and heading to Atlanta Airport where a chartered plane is waiting
Trump orders"reflecting South Korea's wishes" amid controversy over use of handcuffs on buses
(Washington/Atlanta=Yonhap News) Correspondent Park Seong-min and Reporter Jang Ha-na = It has been reported that a chartered plane carrying approximately 300 Koreans arrested and detained by U.S. immigration authorities in the state of Georgia is scheduled to take off at noon on the 11th (local time) and head to Korea.
According to a source familiar with the circumstances surrounding the return of the Koreans detained on the 10th, they are scheduled to depart from the Folkston detention facility and other locations between 2 and 4 a.m. on the 11th and travel to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on chartered buses.
The distance from the Folkston Detention Facility to Atlanta Airport is approximately 430 km, which takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes by regular passenger car.
Another source told Yonhap News Agency,"With over 300 people having to move at the same time, they will be split into about eight buses. They will have to move more slowly than regular vehicles, so the travel time may be longer."
It has been confirmed that they will board a waiting charter plane upon arrival at Atlanta Airport this morning and depart for Korea around noon the same day.
Korean Air charter flight KE2901, intended to transport them, landed at Atlanta International Airport at 10:09 a.m. on the 10th. Korean Air is reportedly monitoring the progress of negotiations and preparing to take off as soon as the detainees are released.
The chartered flight is a B747-8i aircraft with a total of 368 seats, and it has been reported that LG Energy Solution will cover the cost of the round-trip charter flight, which is approximately 1 billion won.
About 300 Koreans were arrested on the 4th by U.S. immigration authorities at the construction site of a joint battery plant between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Ellerbel, Georgia, during a surprise raid on illegal stay and employment, and have been detained at the Folkston Detention Facility and other locations.
They were originally scheduled to be released from detention that day and return home on a chartered flight under the voluntary departure system. However, due to"US circumstances," their release was abruptly delayed. Consequently, their return flight, scheduled to depart Atlanta Airport at 2:30 PM that day, was also postponed.
It was reported that the departure was postponed on this day due to remaining issues with coordinating details related to physical restraints such as handcuffs.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who is visiting the U.S. to resolve the issue of Korean nationals being detained, met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House that day and requested that the individuals be returned to Korea quickly without physical restraint and without any disadvantages in their future re-entry into the U.S., and received a positive response from the U.S.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Secretary Rubio said,"President Trump instructed that we consult and take action quickly to ensure that what the South Korean side wants can be achieved as much as possible."
