WASHINGTON DC: The United States is closely monitoring “with grave concern” the rapidly unfolding situation in South Korea, where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law late Tuesday, citing the need to protect the nation from North Korea’s communist forces and eliminate anti-state elements.
Just hours later, Yoon announced he would lift the martial law after South Korean lawmakers voted to reject his decision and protesters gathered outside parliament.
Taken by surprise, U.S. officials are actively engaging with their South Korean counterparts in Washington and Seoul, gathering facts and assessing the situation on the ground.
“We were not notified of President Yoon’s announcement in advance,” State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters during a briefing on Tuesday.
“I have no threat assessment analysis to offer as it relates to the DPRK in the context of this,” Patel told VOA when asked if the U.S. had received specific threats in the past 24 hours from North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul announced the cancellation of routine consular appointments for American citizens and visa applicants on Wednesday.
The embassy also urged U.S. citizens in South Korea to monitor local news, follow official guidance, avoid demonstration areas, and exercise caution near large gatherings or protests, as even peaceful demonstrations can escalate unexpectedly.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said earlier on Tuesday that the U.S. is watching developments in South Korea “with grave concern” and expressed every hope and expectation that “any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”
President Joe Biden, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have been briefed on the developments and are being kept updated as the situation unfolds, according to Campbell.
Biden was briefed on the latest developments in South Korea as his motorcade was en route to his hotel in Luanda, the capital of Angola. Biden is on his first trip to Africa as president.
At the Pentagon, spokesperson Major General Patrick Ryder told reporters during a news briefing that he did not believe the martial law declaration would significantly affect the approximately 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea.
Ryder added that the militaries of the two allies are “in contact,” but there has been no request for assistance from Seoul.
(VOA)
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