Return of South Korean detainees in US postponed, says Seoul
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Seoul’s foreign ministry said in a statement that it aimed to bring the workers home as quickly as possible
PHOTO: AFP
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SEOUL – South Korea is working with the US authorities to bring home hundreds of Korean workers detained in an immigration raid in Georgia, Atlanta,
Earlier, a source familiar with the matter said a chartered plane carrying the workers was due to depart for South Korea from Atlanta at around 2.30pm on Sept 10 (2.30am on Sept 11, Singapore time).
The ministry said in a statement that it aimed to bring the workers home as quickly as possible, though it was unlikely that the plane would depart on Sept 10 as planned due to US circumstances.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Sept 10 at the White House to discuss the issue, the US Department of State said.
Mr Cho told a meeting with South Korean companies in Washington that he would ensure the safe return of the workers and that their ability to re-enter the US would not be affected, the foreign ministry said.
South Korea had arranged for a chartered plane to bring back about 300 workers detained in last week’s raid at the site of the US$4.3 billion (S$5.5 billion) Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution project to build batteries for electric cars.
Many of the detained workers are employees of subcontractors involved in the project.
The plane left South Korea for Atlanta on the morning of Sept 10, flight data showed.
A smaller number of Japanese and Chinese nationals arrested during the same immigration raid will also board the plane, South Korean media reported.
Representatives of South Korean companies, including Hyundai Motor and LG, urged the government to negotiate with the US for a new type of visa for South Korean professionals and to get clearer visa guidelines to reduce uncertainty and support their businesses in the United States, the foreign ministry said.
South Korean businesses have complained about strict US limits on visas for skilled foreign workers, which they say make it difficult for them to oversee the construction of factories or to train the local workforce.
“Both sides (South Korea and the US) are working towards resolving the visa issue smoothly to support Korean companies in the US,” a South Korean foreign ministry official said, without providing details.
US President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Sept 7 that the US would make it “quickly and legally possible” for foreign companies to bring their staff into the country if they respected US immigration laws.
When asked about potential changes to the US visa system, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt reiterated Mr Trump’s message and noted that the US government was working on the issue.
“The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce are working on this matter together,” she told a news conference on Tuesday. REUTERS
