US Officials Tied and Aimed Weapons at Korean Workers, Victims Report

As Youngjin looked through his office window and spotted armoured trucks and enforcement agents moving around carrying guns, he was surprised, yet not worried.

The young man was certain it had unrelated to do with him. Youngjin was in the United States only for a few weeks on a short-term visa, he thought to himself.

Then, those armed agents burst into his space and commanded him outside. They restrained him, then connecting restraints to his midsection and ankles, and placed him onto a bus headed for a holding centre.

"I was terrified and my mind froze. I felt sick," he shared during a discussion, now back in South Korea.

"I was confused about why I was being treated in this manner."

Youngjin is one of over 300 Korean workers who were detained in the American state of Georgia earlier this month, in among of the biggest immigration raids of the recent presidency to date. Youngjin and fellow detainees interviewed for this article preferred not to reveal their real names in order to protect their privacy.

'Helicopters and Drones… People With Guns

American officials initially stated the workers had been in the nation without authorization on incorrect visas, but eventually the parties struck a deal permitting them to leave without force free from any consequences, so they could return to work there in the coming years.

The majority of the workers were in the United States for a short time, helping to build an electric car power plant run by a pair of Korean companies, Hyundai and LG – a segment of a US initiative to encourage international businesses to put money and manufacture more in the country.

LG said that a large number of its staff who were arrested had different kinds of visas or were under a visa waiver programme. Therefore they were particularly surprised by the raid.

"We just stepped outside for a brief break and I could see a many individuals, officials with weapons. As South Koreans, we just thought they were here to arrest criminals, but then, they abruptly started detaining us," said another detainee, who was also detained that day.

He said they tried to clarify who they were, but they were terrified: "There were helicopters and drones, armoured trucks… people with guns."

We noticed some agents aiming weapons at us, he claimed. "Are you familiar with those red lasers that emit from those firearms? It was so shocking that some individuals were shivering in fear."

Even those who were able to share their immigration details said they were arrested. "I believed everything would be resolved but instead, they suddenly shackled us," said another worker detained, who only wanted to give his surname.

The detainee said there was a restraint around his ankles and one more around his body, linked to handcuffs. "They were so tight, I couldn't touch my face with my arms."

They all said they had little understanding why this was occurring, or where they were being taken. "Eventually I discovered that I was held at the Folkston immigration Detention Center," added the software engineer. Chul-yong had been planning to stay for about a 30 days but was arrested on his sixth day there.

The Conditions Were Very Cold... Drinking Water Had an Odor Similar to Wastewater'

The engineer, an engineer and contract worker for LG, was scheduled to be there for five weeks to educate staff to operate some of the specialist advanced machinery.

The engineer was trembling, even clearly distressed, as he described being taken to the detention center and confined in a cell with dozens of other people.

"I had a panic attack. I just stood there shaking," he said. The room was freezing, and the recent individuals were not given coverings for the initial days, he added.

"I was in short sleeves, so I put my arms inside my clothes and wrapped myself in a towel to try to keep warm at during the evening," he said. "The worst part was the liquid. It smelt like sewage. We drank as little as possible."

The sleeping areas were all taken, Chul-yong said, by the time he arrived, leaving him and others to find any available spot to sleep, including an empty surface where they could lay their head down.

"We tried to rest wherever possible, truly. It was very cold. There were people who found packaged food, heated it up in the microwave, holding it throughout the night."

For the first few days, Youngjin had no idea how much time he would be detained for. He worried it might be months. It was only after some of the detainees were able to meet attorneys and diplomatic staff, did they realise their government was cooperating with the American officials to get them released.

"Including the US authorities feels it might have gone a bit too far," the nation's chief trade negotiator told reporters after returning from the US. South Korea says it is now investigating possible human rights abuses during the raid by US officers.

Trump recognized the need to have experts from overseas educate up American workers, and as per Korean officials, American Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has conveyed his "deep apologies" over the event.

Nevertheless, it has shaken relations between the United States and Korea, typically close allies, particularly since it came soon on the heels of a economic deal in which South Korean firms committed to invest $350 billion in the United States.

The worker was confident his work was allowed by his business permit - and argued it made no sense for the authorities to detain many of people without clarifying their functions in the factory.

Younjin, who was in the US on a 90-day permit-exempt scheme, is firm he did no illegal. "I only participated in discussions and delivered instructional presentations," he said, explaining this was within the terms of the waiver. "Our trust in the United States has been deeply undermined. I don't think it's a trustworthy partner for South Korea."

Even though back with his loved ones, the worker is still struggling to process what happened to him. When he saw them at the airport after arriving to South Korea on that night, he said he greeted and {hug