But as they waited for news inside an ICE facility, the real maelstrom was happening outside – with South Korea’s top diplomat rushing to Washington to negotiate their release, while public fury swelled back home over what many see as a slap in the ...

A passenger jet carrying 316 South Korean nationals and 14 others departed the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport late Thursday morning.

"What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Hundreds of South Korean workers detained by US immigration authorities in Georgia last week could soon be on their way home, but the impact the sweeping detentions have on US-South Korean relations – notably the countries’ deep economic ties – is likely to reverberate well into the future.

The arrest of 300 South Korean nationals by ICE has caused anger in Seoul and may impact relations with the U.S. ally.