Anchor: More than 300 South Korean workers who were detained last week in an immigration raid at a Hyundai battery plant construction site in the United States returned home on a chartered plane on Friday. With the recent raid, Hyundai Motor believes construction plans will be delayed by at least two to three months. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more.

Report: A Korean Air flight carrying 316 South Koreans and 14 foreign nationals arrived at Incheon International Airport at 3:23 p.m. after departing from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 11:38 a.m. Thursday local time.

The South Koreans’ homecoming comes a day after they were released from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, following an eight-day detention period. 

They were detained last Thursday after immigration authorities stormed a construction site in Georgia where South Korea’s Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution were building an EV battery plant, and arrested 475 people.

As a result, Hyundai Motor Company said that last week’s raid will likely delay construction plans by at least two to three months.

The company’s CEO José Muñoz gave the firm’s assessment on Thursday at an auto event in Detroit, adding that specialized people are needed for the construction phase of the plants and many of the required skills and equipment are not available in the U.S.

Meanwhile, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the South Koreans who were detained last week had the “wrong visas,” claiming that the detained South Koreans came to the U.S. on tourist visas.

During an interview with Axios released on Thursday, Lutnick said that Hyundai Motor Group should have asked him for help to get the right visas for its workers.

He stressed that companies "can't do things the old way" because U.S. President Donald Trump requires them to do it correctly, adding if they want to bring in workers or pursue immigration, they must go through the right process.
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.