 "Protesters at Incheon airport with a banner questioning the US relationship with South Korea as 316 workers landed after their detention in an ICE raid. AFP")
More than 300 South Korean workers have reached Incheon International Airport after days of ordeal following their detention during an ICE raid in a Hyundai-LG battery factory in the US.
The raids, touted as the Department of Homeland Security’s largest single-site operation, have outraged South Koreans and cast doubt over whether the country can trust the US as one of its closest allies anymore or not.
There was broad fury across South Korea’s political spectrum over the actions of US authorities, with one newspaper likening the treatment of the workers to that of “prisoners of war,” while another said many South Koreans felt as though they had been stabbed in the back by their closest ally.
We did our best, but I’m sorry we couldn’t bring them back to their homeland sooner,” presidential chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, told reporters.
He added, “We’re in an age of a new normal in dealing with the United States. The standard changes every time and constantly there has to be deal-making, not only on tariffs, but it’ll also be the case with security issues.”
According to a report by The Guardian, the repatriated workers had requested privacy, but wore an exhausted look as they landed in South Korea, coupled with relief as they finally reached home following a week-long delay.
Why was their travel delayed?
US President Donald Trump reportedly delayed their deportation as he wanted to check if any of the workers wanted to stay back and train Americans. Trump told US officials to “encourage” the workers arrested at the battery plant to remain in the country and suggested they stay to continue to train or educate Americans.
Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday said that companies based in the country will be hesitant to invest and operate in the US in the absence of a proper visa system for its workers.
South Korean and US officials are discussing a possible improvement to the US visa system, Lee said, adding that under the current system, South Korean companies “can’t help but hesitate a lot” about making direct investments in the US.
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More ShortsWhy were they detained?
Steven Schrank, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent in Atlanta, said that the recent raids were part of a “criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and serious federal crimes” at the Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint venture plant in the town of Ellabell.