{
  "id": 407524,
  "title": "Three Korean nationals have died while in detention at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, with two of the deaths ruled as suicides.\n\nThe Korea Times has learned that a 40-year-old Korean man, surnamed Choi, was found dead in his cell at the ICE detention facility in Atlanta, Georgia on Jan. 6.\n\nAn ICE spokesperson confirmed that Mr. Choi’s death is being investigated as a suicide.\n\nThe spokesperson said Mr. Choi had been taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection on Dec. 27, 2021, near the US-Mexico border in Texas.\n\nHe was transferred to the Atlanta detention facility on Jan. 3, after processing at a facility in El Paso, Texas.\n\nAnother Korean, a 55-year-old man surnamed Lee, was found dead at an ICE detention facility in Houston, Texas on Dec. 17, 2021.\n\nAn autopsy report showed that Mr. Lee died from asphyxiation due to hanging, and his death was ruled a suicide.\n\nThe third Korean, a 51-year-old man surnamed Lee, died on Aug. 10, 2021, at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas.\n\nHe had been in ICE custody since July 31, 2021, and had been hospitalized since Aug. 7, 2021.\n\nThe cause of his death was determined to be an infection.\n\nThe three deaths bring to 16 the number of Korean nationals who have died in ICE custody since 2010.\n\nOf the 16, nine were due to medical conditions, three were suicides, two were accidents, and two are under investigation.\n\nThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has been informed of the deaths and is taking measures to ensure the human rights of Korean nationals abroad are protected.\n\nThe ministry said it has asked US authorities to thoroughly investigate the cases and take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.\n\nIn 2019, the US Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General released a report that found that the rate of deaths in ICE custody was higher than that of other federal prisons.\n\nThe report also found that many deaths were due to a lack of proper medical care.\n\nThe US has been criticized for its treatment of immigrants in detention centers.\n\nIn May, the US Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security announced a lawsuit settlement that will limit the length of time that asylum seekers can be held in immigration detention.\n\nThe settlement also requires US authorities to assess the risk of suicide for detainees with a history of mental health issues.\n\nThe US government has faced criticism for its handling of immigration detention, particularly with regard to the separation of migrant families at the US-Mexico border.\n\nThe issue has sparked widespread protests and calls for reform.",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/09/3-2",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-09T18:55:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hankyoreh",
    "slug": "hankyoreh",
    "url": "https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/international/international_general/1272122.html"
  },
  "original_language": "ko",
  "account": null,
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}