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US says it was not warned of South Korean leader’s martial law declaration in advance
The White House said it was ‘relieved’ after President Yoon Suk-yeol decided to reverse course on the shock decree
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US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday said his government welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s decision to lift martial law just hours after he imposed it.
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“We welcome President Yoon’s statement that he would rescind the order declaring emergency martial law in accordance with the ROK Constitution, after the National Assembly’s unanimous vote to reject the declaration,” Blinken said, using the acronym for South Korea’s formal name.
Blinken added that the United States expected “political disagreements to be resolved peacefully”, while reaffirming Washington’s support to its ally.
Yoon abandoned his short-lived attempt at martial law on Wednesday after lawmakers defied security forces to vote against his declaration and thousands of protesters took to the streets.
Earlier, the White House had said the US was “relieved” Yoon had “reversed course on his concerning declaration,” according to a spokesperson for the US National Security Council.
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President Joe Biden’s administration said it was not notified in advance of Yoon’s announcement, in which he accused the opposition of threatening the country’s democracy.
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