US President Donald Trump instructed his officials to transport South Korean workers held at a detention facility to an Atlanta airport without physical restraints, such as handcuffs, a Foreign Ministry official said Wednesday, as they are set to return home aboard a chartered flight.
The official's remarks came after Foreign Minister Cho Hyun held talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on the detention of some 300 South Koreans who were arrested in a US immigration sweep last Thursday.
Cho asked Rubio at the talks to allow the Koreans to swiftly head home without physical restraints and to ensure they avoid any disadvantages with future reentry into the United States.
"Despite the strict regulations of US authorities, President Trump instructed that the detainees be transported from the detention facility to the airport without handcuffs or other physical restraints, as we had strongly requested," a ministry official told reporters in a press availability.
"President Trump's consideration for Korea in this manner was based on the deep bond forged between the two leaders during the successful South Korea-US summit, as well as our government's consistent position regarding the detention issue," the official said.
Rubio told Cho that the delayed departure of the chartered flight from Atlanta was largely due to the fact that the process had been halted because Trump "encouraged" the Koreans to stay in the US, the official said.
Of the detainees, 330 people, including 14 non-Koreans, will be returning to Korea, according to the ministry. One person will stay in the US. (Yonhap)
