South Korean workers return to Seoul after raid

Their roundup at a factory in Georgia caused public outrage and sense of betrayal.

- BY KIM TONG-HYUNG AND HYUNG-JIN KIM

PROTESTERS try to hold a banner depicting President Trump at the terminal in Incheon, South Korea.

More than 300 South Korean workers detained during an immigration raid in the United States returned home on a charter plane on Friday to be reunited with their loved ones.

They were among the 475 people detained during the Sept.4 immigration raid at a battery factory under construction on the campus of Hyundai’s sprawling auto plant west of Savannah, Ga.

Their roundup and the US. release of video showing some Korean workers shackled with chains around their hands, ankles and waists have caused public outrage and a sense of betrayal in South Korea, a key US. ally.

After the Boeing 747-8i Korean Air plane landed at Incheon International Airport, near Seoul, the workers appeared in an arrivals hall, with senior officials including presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik clapping hands.

Hundreds of journalists gathered at the airport to cover their arrival, while many ordinary citizens shouted “Welcome back!” One worker, apparently responding to the greeting, called out “I'm back! I'm free!” as he hurried toward the airport gate.

One protester unfurled a huge banner with a photo of U.S. President Trump and a sarcastic message criticizing U.S. immigration crackdowns, before security officials forced him to stop.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry asked the waiting media to blur the workers’ faces in videos and photos, citing requests by the workers who worried about their privacy.

The few workers who spoke to reporters described the shock of the unexpected raid, being handcuffed and chained, and told of the harsh conditions of their detention.

“No one would have really wanted to stay,” said Jang Yeong-seon, one of the released workers, when asked about Trump's supposed last-minute offer to allow the workers to remain at the factory site if they wished.