Seoul: Seoul's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun vowed Wednesday to "rescue" South Koreans detained in a recent U.S. immigration crackdown "within the shortest time," as his ministry cited "unspecified U.S. circumstances" as the reason for a delay in their release from a detention center in Georgia. Cho's remarks came as he is set to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House to discuss a range of issues concerning the detainees. They were initially scheduled to meet Tuesday, but their talks were rescheduled for Wednesday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Cho emphasized the urgency of the matter, stating, "(We) will ensure whatever it takes ... in the best way that our citizens will be rescued and be able to board a (chartered) plane within the shortest time." When pressed for details on the U.S. circumstances causing the delay, Cho refrained from providing specifics, mentioning, "We are not at a stage to tell you about that."
The situation involves more than 300 South Korean workers who were initially set to depart on a chartered flight from Atlanta to return home, six days following their arrest at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site. The site, a joint venture of Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, is located in Bryan County near Savannah.
The raid resulted in the arrest of a total of 475 individuals, including approximately 300 Koreans. U.S. authorities have described this as the "largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations." Officials noted that those detained were found to be working illegally in the United States, including individuals holding short-term or recreational visas that prohibit employment.