Seoul: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will depart for Washington this week, diplomatic sources said Sunday, following the government's announcement that negotiations for the release of South Korean workers detained during a recent U.S. immigration raid have concluded.
According to Yonhap News Agency, more than 300 South Korean nationals were among the 457 people taken into custody during a U.S. immigration raid on Thursday. The operation took place at a site operated by South Korean companies Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Georgia.
Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik stated that negotiations for the release of the detained individuals have wrapped up. He added that a chartered plane would head for the United States, contingent on the completion of administrative procedures.
Cho, who is scheduled to leave for the U.S. on Monday afternoon, is expected to meet with U.S. officials to request their cooperation for the release of the detained South Koreans and to discuss necessary administrative procedures, as per multiple diplomatic sources.
The Foreign Minister is also anticipated to request U.S. cooperation in preventing similar incidents in the future and to emphasize the need for improvements in the visa system for South Korean nationals traveling to the U.S. for work.
During a government response meeting concerning the U.S. immigration arrests on Saturday, Cho mentioned that he would visit Washington if necessary for discussions with U.S. officials.
Consular officials began meeting with the detained South Korean nationals at an immigration detention center in Folkston on Saturday to assess their health and other conditions, according to Seoul officials. The on-site team, led by Cho Ki-joong, consul general at the Korean Embassy in Washington, is focused on securing the release of the detained Koreans as soon as possible amid concerns about a prolonged investigation process.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that those arrested were found to be working illegally in the United States, including individuals on short-term or recreational visas that prohibit them from working.
U.S. officials described Thursday's raid as "the largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations." U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his support for the ICE operation on Friday, referring to those detained as "illegal aliens."