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South Korea presses US over detention of 300 nationals at Georgia Hyundai plant

South Korea’s foreign minister Hyun meets U.S. Secretary of State Rubio after nearly 300 nationals were detained in a record Georgia immigration raid.
South Korea presses US over detention of 300 nationals at Georgia Hyundai plant
Immigration Raid Hyundai Plant
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South Korean foreign affairs minister Cho Hyun is meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after nearly 300 South Korean nationals were detained by U.S. immigration officials last week at a Hyundai plant in Georgia.

The Yonhap News Agency reports that Korean Air is dispatching a Boeing 747-8i to bring those detained back to South Korea.

"We cannot say specifically at this stage what the minister will discuss with Secretary Rubio," a ministry official told Yonhap. "But what we can say is that we are primarily focused on resolving the issue of our nationals in detention and ensuring their safe return home."

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The incident has prompted concerns for South Korean businesses investing in the U.S.

Federal law enforcement officials called the raid at a Georgia battery plant the "largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations."

The operation took place at a Hyundai plant in Bryan County, Georgia. Officials said that 475 people — mostly South Korean nationals — were apprehended. Some of those present had entered the U.S. illegally, overstayed their visas, or did not have proper work permits.

South Korea presses US over detention of 300 nationals at Georgia Hyundai plant

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