(LEAD) Chartered plane to bring home Korean detainees set to depart Thursday: source

WASHINGTON/ATLANTA, Sept. 10 (Yonhap) -- A plane, chartered to bring home Korean workers detained in a recent U.S. immigration crackdown, will take off from an airport in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday (local time), according to an informed source.

The Korean Air plane that will carry some 300 Korean workers is set to leave Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at noon, the source said. The plane was initially scheduled to depart on Wednesday, but its departure was delayed.

The workers are expected to start traveling to the airport from a detention center in Folkston between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

The plan for departure came as Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the White House on Wednesday as part of Seoul's efforts to secure the early release of the Korean detainees.

During the talks, Cho requested Rubio to allow the Koreans to swiftly head home without physical restraints, such as handcuffs, and to ensure they avoid any disadvantages with future reentry into the United States, according to his office.

The workers were arrested during last week's raid at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site for a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Bryan County. U.S. authorities said they were found to be working illegally in the United States, including those on short-term visas that bar them from working.

sshluck@yna.co.kr
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