Inside the secret deal between the US and South Korea after the Hyundai plant raids

When immigration agents swept through a Hyundai factory in Georgia last week, the scene was chaotic: nearly 500 workers were detained in what officials called the largest single-site operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Now, South Korea says its citizens caught up in the raid will be heading home—without facing sanctions or long-term consequences.

What happened at the Hyundai plant?

According to HSI Special Agent in Charge Steven Schrank, 475 workers were taken into custody during the raid at one of Hyundai’s largest manufacturing facilities in Georgia. More than 300 of them were South Korean nationals.

Schrank explained that while some had originally entered the US legally, their visas had since expired, leaving them without authorization to remain in the country. Others, he said, had entered unlawfully.

Schrank told reporters that this operation marked “the largest single site enforcement operation in the history of HIS.”

Seoul’s response: “We will ensure their safe return”

South Korea’s Foreign Minister, Cho Hyun, confirmed that all detained citizens will return to South Korea. Speaking after a meeting in Washington with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Hyun said he raised his country’s deep concern over the public arrests.

“I expressed Korea’s shock at the detention of our workers, who came to support American manufacturing,” Hyun said. “I urged special attention to ensure their prompt return without physical restrictions—or limits on future visits.”

Hyun also proposed the creation of a bilateral task force to prevent a repeat of the incident, including discussion of a potential new visa category for workers. “We will take every step necessary to guarantee the quick return of our citizens,” he added.

The US position: investment and alliance

A senior State Department spokesperson, Tommy Pigott, emphasized that the meeting also reaffirmed the “strength” of the enduring alliance between Washington and Seoul. Which has been “the linchpin of peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the Indo-Pacific for more than 70 years.”

“The Secretary said the United States welcomes [Korean] investment into the United States and stated his interest in deepening cooperation on this front,” the statement said.

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