A plane carrying hundreds of workers who were detained in a U.S. immigration raid at a Hyundai-LG Energy Solution battery plant in Georgia last week departed American airspace on Thursday, bound for South Korea.
More than 300 Koreans were expected aboard the chartered plane that left Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to a statement from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry translated by NBC News.
The plane was also carrying 14 foreign employees of South Korean companies that were detained.
Thursday’s takeoff marks the latest development in a major diplomatic standoff that has commanded the attention of businesses and politicians in the both the U.S. and South Korea.
U.S. authorities had a search warrant when entering the plant in Ellabell, Georgia, last Thursday. They said the detained workers had either been working or living in the country without legal status.
