South Korea’s top diplomat made a direct appeal Wednesday to the United States to release hundreds of workers detained in an immigration raid that stunned the close US ally, as a plane dispatched by Seoul was delayed.

South Koreans made up the majority of 475 people arrested at a Hyundai-LG battery plant under construction in Georgia last week, according to immigration agents.

The operation was the largest single-site raid conducted under Donald Trump’s sweeping immigration crackdown, a top political priority for the president since he returned to office in January.

The raid, less than a month after Trump welcomed South Korea’s new President Lee Jae Myung to the White House, has brought shock to South Korea which for decades has seen the United States as its pivotal ally.

Foreign Minis

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