South Korea asks US to let detained workers leave without handcuffs

Detainees are made to stand against a bus before being handcuffed, during a raid by federal agents where about 300 South Koreans were among 475 people arrested at the site of a $4.3 billion project by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution to build batteries for electric cars in Ellabell, Georgia, U.S., September 4, 2025 in a still image taken from a video. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON/SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea asked its ally the United States on Wednesday to allow hundreds of Korean workers to leave the country quickly and without handcuffs after they were detained in an immigration raid on a Hyundai construction site in the state of Georgia.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made the request at a White House meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.