Overview

• The charter from Atlanta landed in Incheon on Sept. 12 with 316 South Koreans on board, part of a 330-passenger manifest that included 14 foreigners, and authorities said one South Korean chose to remain in the United States.
• ICE detained roughly 475 people at the Hyundai–LG battery-plant construction site on Sept. 4, alleging visa and unauthorized-employment violations, while companies and lawyers say many detainees were subcontracted technicians on short-term B‑1 or visa-waiver visits for installation and service work.
• South Korea said the United States agreed to release the detainees and most returned under voluntary departure, after what Seoul described as delays due to U.S.-side circumstances.
• Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met Secretary of State Marco Rubio without a public U.S. statement on the detainees, as Seoul pursues consultations and warns the episode could weigh on future investment decisions.
• ICE released video showing some detainees in shackles, fueling criticism, and U.S. authorities describe the operation as part of a labor-practices investigation with judicial warrants; about 175 non-Korean detainees remain in immigration custody.