The White House said on Tuesday it was relieved that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol had reversed course over a martial law declaration in the country.
“Democracy is at the foundation of the U.S.-ROK alliance, and we will continue to monitor the situation,” a spokesperson said, referring to South Korea by the initials of its official name, the Republic of Korea.
The United States said on Tuesday it was watching events in ally South Korea with “grave concern” after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law.
It hoped the crisis would be resolved peacefully in accordance with the rule of law.
Earlier, a White House spokesperson said that the United States was not given advance notice of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in the country.
“We are seriously concerned by the developments we are seeing on the ground,” the White House spokesperson said.
President Joe Biden’s administration is in contact with the South Korean government and is monitoring the situation closely, the spokesperson added.
Yoon’s surprise declaration, which he cast as aimed at his political foes, created the most serious challenge to South Korea’s democracy since the 1980s and was unanimously voted down by 190 lawmakers in the parliament.
Protesters gathered outside parliament, and Yoon’s own party urged him to lift the decree.
Replying to a question at a regular Press briefing in Washington, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, “Certainly it is our hope and expectation that the laws and
regulations of a particular country are abided by that particular country.”
Patel was asked if Washington believed martial law should be rescinded based on the vote.
Under South Korean law, the president must immediately lift
martial law if parliament demands it by a majority vote.
Earlier, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell told a
State Department event that the United States was watching
developments in South Korea with “grave concern.”
Campbell said that the U.S. was seeking to engage South Korean counterparts at every level, both in Washington and Seoul.
Campbell said U.S. President Joe Biden, National Security
Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were
being kept apprised of the unfolding developments.
He stressed that the U.S. alliance with South Korea was “ironclad.”
“We stand by Korea in their time of uncertainty,” he said.
Patel stressed the importance of the “broader strategic
partnership” the U.S. has with South Korea and called it “vital
partner in the Indo Pacific.
In Seoul, live television footage showed helmeted troops
attempting to enter the National Assembly building.
Parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back
by spraying fire extinguishers.
(With inputs from Reuters)
