South Korea's president says recent tensions with the U.S. might strengthen Seoul's relationship with Washington.

Live from the UK, this is the Marketplace Morning Report from the BBC World Service.

I'm William Lee Adams. Good morning. Relations between the U.S. and South Korea have been ruffled in recent weeks after 300 Koreans,

who were helping to build a car battery factory in Savannah, Georgia, were arrested and expelled over alleged work visa irregularities.

The president of South Korea, Li J. Myeong, sat down with the BBC's Gene McKinsey to give his first broadcast interview since taking office.

When you saw the Korean workers handcuffed and chained up in the U.S., just weeks after you had agreed to invest billions of dollars there,

did you feel betrayed, like so many people in this country now do?

As president, I feel a profound sense of responsibility for the harsh treatment of our people,

who are detained without committing any serious crimes. It was a shocking incident, but there's a

Korean proverb that says, after the rain, the ground hardens. So I think this could be a good

opportunity to strengthen our relationship.

Has it changed anything for you?

What happened?

It's likely our companies will be more hesitant to invest in the U.S.

So it's difficult to say there's been no impact.

It's my responsibility to manage this so it doesn't damage our relationship.

Jean McKinsey reporting.

Let's do the numbers now.

India's tech sector reacted to new U.S. visa arrangements that hike fees for skilled foreign workers.

The Nifty IT index is down 2.7 percent, with shares in Tata consultancy services and

infosits both dropping sharply.

It's better news in Japan, though, where the Niki 225 index is up 1.6%.

...