Immigration authorities arrested and detained him for only 7 days… dressed in plain clothes, without handcuffs or other restraints.
Arriving at the airport after a 5-hour bus ride… Scheduled to arrive at 4:00 PM Korean time on the 12th.
(Forkston, Georgia, Seoul = Yonhap News) Correspondent Lee Ji-heon, Reporter Kim Ji-yeon = About 300 Koreans who had been detained in Georgia by U.S. immigration authorities left the detention facility early on the 11th (local time) and began their journey back home.
Those detained at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, departed on eight regular buses at 2:18 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (3:18 p.m. Korean time on the 11th) and are traveling to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where a Korean Air charter flight is waiting.
It has been seven days since he was arrested and detained at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution battery joint venture in Ellerbel, Georgia, in a large-scale surprise raid by U.S. immigration authorities on the 4th.
Koreans who left the detention facility's iron gate boarded a bus waiting in front of the gate in plain clothes without any restraints such as handcuffs.
A total of 330 people, including 316 Koreans and 14 foreign nationals (10 Chinese, 3 Japanese, and 1 Indonesian), who were detained by U.S. immigration authorities are expected to board the charter flight.
All 316 Korean nationals, excluding one who did not consent to voluntary repatriation via chartered flight, will be repatriated. The remaining Korean national is a permanent resident applicant and is expected to undergo legal proceedings while in custody.
The chartered plane is expected to depart Atlanta International Airport at around noon local time on the 11th (1:00 AM on the 12th, Korean time) and arrive at Incheon International Airport at around 4:00 PM on the 12th, Korean time.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said,"We are also preparing procedures for the smooth entry of our citizens on board through consultations between relevant ministries and agencies."
They were originally scheduled to leave the detention facility on the morning of the 10th and return to the country voluntarily in the afternoon of the same day.
However, on the night of the 9th, the US government suddenly and unilaterally suspended the repatriation process, delaying the schedule by one day, causing anxiety for those waiting for their speedy return.
Earlier, on the 4th, U.S. authorities arrested a total of 475 people, including approximately 300 Koreans, including employees of LG Ensol and its partners, at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor Company-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met with South Korean reporters at the U.S. Embassy in Washington, D.C. on the 10th (local time) and said,"We have confirmed once again (with the U.S.) that our citizens currently detained will be able to return home on a chartered plane tomorrow (the 11th) and that no handcuffs will be placed in the process."
Minister Cho specifically stated,"We have also received assurances (from the U.S. side) that these individuals will not face any problems returning to the U.S. to work," and that the Koreans detained in this incident will not face any disadvantages when entering the U.S. in the future.
