Activists hold signs that reads "illegal!” during a press conference to protest against huge immigration raid last week at the site of a US car battery project involving Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution in the US state of Georgia, in front of the US embassy in Seoul, South Korea, September 9, 2025. - Reuters
SEOUL: South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid last week in the US state of Georgia will depart from the US around 1430 local time (1830 GMT) on Wednesday (Sept 10), Yonhap news agency said, citing an unidentified diplomatic source.
South Korea's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet South Korea's Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday at the White House, the US Department of State said.
South Korea had arranged for a chartered plane to bring back about 300 workers detained in the raid at the site of the US$4.3 billion Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution project to build batteries for electric cars.
Before leaving for Washington on Monday, Cho said he planned to work with the US to prevent a repeat of similar incidents and was seeking assurances that Koreans who return home would be allowed to re-enter the US.
In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said 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 the comment and what changes it might signal for the US visa system, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt reiterated Trump's message and noted that the US government was working on the matter.
"The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Commerce are working on this matter together," she told a news conference on Tuesday. - Reuters
