South Koreans Return Home After Hyundai Plant Raid - Shackled Workers Greeted With Tears

Hundreds of South Korean workers swept up in a U.S. immigration raid have finally made it back home, closing a tense week that shook investor confidence and tested ties between Washington and Seoul.

A Korean Air flight carrying 330 passengers, of which 316 were South Koreans, landed at Incheon on Friday to emotional scenes. Tearful families clung to their loved ones as camera crews crowded the terminal and buses waited outside to take the returnees home, Bloomberg reported.

Local reports said a pregnant woman and the father of a six-month-old baby were among those caught up in the sweep.

The Sept. 4 raid at a Hyundai–LG battery plant under construction in Georgia ignited outrage in South Korea, after photos of workers in shackles spread rapidly online. 

Hyundai CEO Jose Munoz said construction will be delayed by months, and President Lee Jae Myung warned it could dampen Korean investment in the U.S. His approval rating has already slipped 5 points to 58%, Gallup Korea noted.

The fallout comes on top of tensions over trade. A July deal left a 15% levy on most Korean imports, and Trump has not lowered auto tariffs as promised. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC that Seoul must accept a U.S. investment requirement or face tariffs, though Trump plans to ease short-term visas for skilled workers.

Trump could leverage the raid in negotiations, while Lee faces pressure not to sign an uneven deal, said Park Won Gon, an international relations professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. 

Korean carmakers are under strain after Trump cut tariffs on Japanese autos to 15%. Exports to the U.S. fell 12% in August, and economists warn South Korea has little room to resist.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment was 'neutral' with 'normal' message volume for both the SPDR S & P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) and the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), while the iShares MSCI South Korea ETF (EWY) saw a 'bullish' mood on similar activity.

So far this year, SPY is up 12.9% and QQQ has gained 14.6%, while EWY has surged 53%, sharply outperforming the others.

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