Flight returning detained workers to Korea being held up, Foreign Ministry says

The chartered flight initially set to fly detained Korean workers from the United States to Korea is "facing difficulty meeting the Sept. 10 departure date," according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.

A Korean Air B747-8i charter flight departs from Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport on the morning of Sept. 10 to pick up Korean nationals detained at the LG Energy Solution?Hyundai Motor Group joint battery plant construction site in Georgia. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

The chartered flight initially set to fly detained Korean workers from the United States to Korea is "facing difficulty meeting the Sept. 10 departure date," according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday.

"The departure has been delayed due to issues regarding the U.S. side," according to a Foreign Ministry official. No details of the reason or a later schedule were revealed.

"We will keep our cooperation with the United States to resume the departure as soon as possible," said the ministry, adding that it will notify the press of any other changes.

Some 300 Korean nationals remain under detention at the Folkston Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Georgia, after U.S. officials took them in on Sept. 4.

After diplomatic negotiations with Washington, Seoul said the workers are expected to be released from the facility early Wednesday and travel by bus to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to board the flight home.

Seoul has been stepping up negotiations with Washington to secure their release and safe return, seeking to ensure their departure is treated as voluntary and that the detention does not affect their future entry into the United States.

This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement via Dvids shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at a joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution on Sept. 4 in Ellabell, Georgia. [AP/YONHAP]

It was not immediately clear whether all of the detained people had agreed to board the flight. A Seoul official stated earlier that individuals with foreign nationalities may also return on the same plane.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun arrived in Washington on Tuesday to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the detention of Korean workers and ways to improve the work visa programs for Korean businesses. Cho may also meet with U.S. officials responsible for immigration policy, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday that the DHS and the Commerce Department are working to address visa rules concerning skilled foreign workers.

Update, Sept. 10: Added details of public officials.

BY YOON SO-YEON, YONHAP [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]