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yesterday

Trump Told U.S. to Move Detained Koreans Without Restraints and Review Repatriation, Seoul Says

Talks focus on voluntary departures to avoid reentry penalties after the Georgia battery-plant raid.

Activists holding signs that reads "No one is illegal!", chant slogans during a press conference to protest against a huge immigration raid last week at the site of a U.S. car battery project involving Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution in the U.S. state of Georgia, in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, September 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
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A chartered Korean Air plane is landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia on Sept. 10, 2025. (Yonhap)
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Overview

  • South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington seeking swift departures without handcuffs and protection for future entry.
  • A Korean Air charter arrived in Atlanta to repatriate detainees, with departures delayed as procedures were adjusted; 330 people are slated to return and one will remain in the United States, according to Seoul.
  • A South Korean Foreign Ministry official said President Trump instructed U.S. agencies to transport detainees to the airport without handcuffs or other restraints.
  • The ministry also reported that Trump encouraged a temporary pause so skilled workers could stay to help train the U.S. workforce, though Seoul indicated it preferred they return first.
  • The HSI-led raid at Hyundai and LG’s Ellabell, Georgia battery site detained 475 people, including about 300 South Koreans, and Seoul proposed discussing a new visa category to prevent similar disruptions.