South Korea to repatriate 300 workers after Georgia plant raid

More than 300 South Korean workers detained in a massive U.S. immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution battery plant under construction in Georgia will be released and flown home, Seoul and U.S. officials said, after days of tense negotiations that have strained ties between the close allies. The arrests on Sept. 4 involved about 475 people, the majority reported to be South Korean, and videos released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement showed detainees in restraints as agents halted work at the site near Savannah.

South Korean presidential chief of staff Kang Hoonsik said Sunday that negotiations with U.S. authorities had been finalized and that Seoul would dispatch a chartered plane to repatriate those released once remaining administrative steps were completed. Korean Air planned to operate the flight and officials said the aircraft could carry more than 300 passengers. Reports on how many ultimately boarded varied, with some accounts saying 316 South Koreans returned on a single flight while others cited roughly 330 people released for repatriation.

U.S. agencies said the operation was part of a longrunning criminal investigation into alleged...