President Lee Jae Myung urges tangible progress in visa, security talks with US
A Korean Air chartered flight is set to depart as early as Wednesday to repatriate more than 300 South Koreans detained in the US Department of Homeland Security’s largest single-site immigration raid, conducted at a construction site in Georgia run by South Korean conglomerates.
President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the incident, saying he felt “a deep responsibility for the safety of Korean citizens” and called on government ministries to manage the situation with the utmost care.
“I wish to extend my heartfelt sympathy to those who must have been deeply unsettled by the sudden incident,” he said at a Cabinet meeting he presided over at his office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. He added that he hoped such incidents would not recur, pledging to work with Washington on institutional improvements to prevent similar cases. “I ask that negotiations deliver tangible progress in a spirit of trust and alliance,” he said.
According to industry sources, Korean Air will deploy a Boeing 747-8i from Incheon Airport to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, with the return flight expected to leave Atlanta late Wednesday at the earliest. With capacity for 368 passengers, the aircraft will carry the more than 300 Koreans taken into custody, who will be transferred to the airport by ground from an immigration detention facility in Folkston, Georgia.
The charter flight follows a raid by US immigration authorities Thursday that led to the detention of 475 workers at a battery plant under construction by a Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution joint venture in Georgia.
US officials said the individuals had violated the terms of their visas, which prohibit employment. Many had entered the country on B-1 visas, intended for short-term business travel, or under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, both of which bar labor activity, unlike employment visas such as the H-1B, L-1 and E-2.
Cho Ki-joong, consul general at the Korean Embassy in Washington, and other consular staff met with the detainees at the center on Monday and worked on the voluntary departure framework as well as procedures for issuing alien registration numbers to each Korean.
“We’ve reached an agreement with ICE to operate a charter flight for our nationals currently in detention, and the method will be voluntary departure,” a consular official said in a message to business sources Monday.
Most of the detainees reportedly opted for voluntary departure, which offers the fastest and least punitive path for return, while only a few chose to have their immigration status reviewed in immigration court. Cho noted that workers who leave under the arrangement would not face a five-year reentry ban. “This is an established procedure under US law,” he said. Under US immigration law, individuals removed through expedited removal face a five-year reentry ban.
However, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sparked concern with her comment that most detained Koreans would be “deported” for immigration violations. “A few of those had criminal activity beyond just being here past final removal orders, and they will face the consequences for that,” Noem said Monday at a border security meeting in London with ministers from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network. She emphasized that immigration operations remain “full speed ahead,” dismissing concerns that such actions could deter foreign business.
To fully resolve the issue, further Cabinet-level talks are expected, as Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who arrived in Washington on Monday, prepared to meet Tuesday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly officials from the Department of Homeland Security. The talks will likely focus on clarifying the legal basis of the detainees’ repatriation, ensuring they leave under voluntary departure rather than deportation, and on addressing potential reentry restrictions, since many are anticipated to return to the US once construction of the battery plant resumes.
The Korean government also plans to raise the issue of limited US visa options for its workers. “We will use this opportunity to negotiate with the US in a positive way, exploring every option — whether through a new E-4 visa, expanded H-1B quotas, or pursuing both,” Cho said during an urgent session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee on Monday afternoon.
