Greater than 300 South Korean employees who had been detained by US immigration brokers at a Hyundai manufacturing unit in Georgia final week arrived residence on Friday.
The shock raid shocked Seoul and threatened to upend relations with its chief financial and strategic ally, Washington.
South Korea lately pledged to take a position tens of billions of {dollars} within the US to keep away from Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The Incheon airport in Seoul witnessed emotional scenes as the employees landed on a chartered aircraft and had been greeted with cheers from relations and authorities officers, together with the presidential chief of workers.
The employees, sporting white face masks, had been embraced by their relations, together with youngsters who had been anxiously ready for his or her return.
The chartered Korean Air aircraft had taken off from Atlanta noon native time on Thursday and arrived in Seoul at 3.23pm native time.
A banner displayed on the airport featured a caricature of Mr Trump as an immigration agent, wearing black tactical gear, holding a bag and elevating an arm in a gesture resembling the Nazi salute, together with a caption that learn, “We’re mates! Aren’t we?”
One of many detained Korean employees didn’t return and as an alternative selected to remain within the US to hunt everlasting residency, in response to native media studies.
The employees had been detained by immigration brokers throughout a 4 September raid at a Georgia automobile manufacturing unit, a three way partnership between Hyundai Motor and LG Power Answer.
The raid drew widespread criticism as footage confirmed the employees shackled at their wrists, ankles, and waist.
The employees mentioned they had been horrified by the raid that noticed US regulation enforcement brokers spherical up 475 employees on the plant.
The detained employees included, along with the South Koreans, 10 Chinese language nationals, three Japanese and an Indonesian.
“It began to look severe as a result of we thought we might be taking the transport automobile, however then they began placing handcuffs and shackles and that’s after we thought, ‘Oh, this isn’t going to be a easy transport,’” LG Power Answer engineer Choi Younger Hee mentioned.
Their return was delayed by a day as Mr Trump reportedly tried to persuade them to remain and practice US employees.
The South Korean international ministry, nonetheless, mentioned the exhausted employees would return residence first and return to the US later if needed.
South Korea’s international minister, Cho Hyun, had urged US secretary of state Marco Rubio throughout a gathering earlier this week to permit the employees to not be shackled throughout transport to the airport in Atlanta and allow them to re-enter the US at a later level.
Requested about this, Jang Younger Seol, engineer for an LG Power Answer subcontractor, mentioned he would wish to assume lengthy and laborious about it. “No one goes to remain and work when it’s like this,” he mentioned.
Presidential chief of workers Kang Hoon Sik mentioned he had come to the airport to spotlight how critically president Lee Jae Myung was taking the incident that had affected “harmless folks of Korea”.
“We’re in an age of latest regular in coping with the USA,” Mr Kang informed reporters. “The usual modifications each time and consistently there must be deal-making, not solely on tariffs, nevertheless it’ll even be the case with safety points.”
