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South Korea arranges chartered plane to pick up detained

workers

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Rubio to meet South Korean foreign minister at White House

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Detained workers include Japanese and Chinese nationals,

reports

say

By Hyunjoo Jin and Joyce Lee

SEOUL, Sept 10 (Reuters) - South Korean workers detained

during an immigration raid last week in the U.S. state of

Georgia will depart from the United States at around 2:30 pm

(1830 GMT) on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter

said.

South Korea's foreign ministry did not immediately respond

to a request for comment.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet South Korea's

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday at the White House, the

U.S. Department of State said.

At a meeting with Korean companies in Washington, Cho said

he would ensure the safe return of the Korean workers and that

there would be no consequences on their re-entry to the United

States, the foreign ministry said.

South Korea had arranged for a chartered plane to bring back

about 300 workers detained in the raid at the site of the $4.3

billion Hyundai Motor ( HYMLF ) and LG Energy Solution

project to build batteries for electric cars.

Many of the detained workers are employees of subcontractors

involved in the project.

The plane left South Korea for Atlanta on Wednesday morning,

flight data showed. A smaller number of Japanese and Chinese

nationals arrested during the same immigration raid will also

board the plane, South Korean media reported.

The workers currently detained in a U.S. immigration

detention facility are expected to move to Atlanta airport by

bus early on Wednesday, said the source, who works at a

subcontractor and asked not to be identified due to the

sensitivity of the issue.

Representatives of Korean companies, including Hyundai Motor ( HYMLF )

and LG, urged the government to negotiate with the U.S. for a

new type of visa for Korean professionals and to get clearer

visa guidelines to reduce uncertainty and support their

businesses in the U.S., the foreign ministry said in a

statement.

Korean businesses have complained about strict U.S. limits

on visas for skilled foreign workers, which they say make it

difficult for them to oversee the construction of factories or

to train the local workforce.

In a social media post on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump

said the U.S. would make it "quickly and legally possible" for

foreign companies to bring their staff into the country if they

respected U.S. immigration laws.

When asked about the comment and what changes it might

signal for the U.S. visa system, White House spokesperson

Karoline Leavitt reiterated Trump's message and noted that the

U.S. government was working on the matter.

"The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of

Commerce are working on this matter together," she told a news

conference on Tuesday.