US says South Korea's Yoon badly misjudged martial law declaration


  • World
  • Thursday, 05 Dec 2024

FILE PHOTO: United States Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell attends a trilateral meeting with South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea on October 16, 2024. JUNG YEON-JE/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Wednesday that South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol "badly misjudged" his decision to declare martial law this week, and it had been seen as "deeply problematic" and "illegitimate."

Asked at an event organized by the Aspen Strategy Forum whether it was an intelligence failure that Washington was caught unaware by a key ally, Campbell said almost all U.S. interlocutors in South Korea, including in the president's office, were "deeply surprised" by Yoon's move.

Yoon declared martial law on Tuesday night to thwart "anti-state forces" among his domestic political opponents, but rescinded the decision hours later after lawmakers defied him.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday that the U.S., which has around 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, was not aware of Yoon's intention to declare martial law.

President Joe Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, later told a Washington think tank that the U.S. learned about it "on television, the same way the rest of the world did" and "it raised deep concern for us."

Campbell said the events in South Korea had been "deeply unpredictable and unlikely."

"I think President Yoon badly misjudged. And I think the memory of previous experiences of martial law have a deep and negative resonance in South Korea."

Campbell said the fact that both political sides in South Korea could agree the step was "deeply problematic" despite deep political polarization and division in the country was a reassuring tribute to the strength of democracy in the country.

"This is a powerful symbol of the fact that people were prepared to come out and make clear that this was a deeply illegitimate process and that would be met by the will of the people," he said.

Campbell said South Korea would be "in a challenging place" in the next few months and the U.S. goal would be to make clear its alliance with Seoul is "absolutely rock solid."

He said almost all U.S. interlocutors inside South Korea -- "the foreign minister, the finance minister, many of the key players that we work with in the president's office ... were themselves deeply surprised" by Yoon's move.

South Korea's parliament introduced a motion on Thursday to impeach Yoon over his botched attempt to impose martial law, but his party vowed to oppose the move, throwing the process into doubt.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina; Editing by Chris Reese and David Gregorio)

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!
   

Next In World

Iran launches advanced module to deploy satellites to higher altitudes, media say
Why does UK lag on 5G mobile connectivity?
Ransomware gangs’ merciless attacks bleed�small companies dry
By running Aleppo, Syrian rebels seek to show they are alternative to Assad
US and Canadian climbers missing on New Zealand mountain believed dead, police say
Pakistan's jailed former PM Imran Khan threatens civil disobedience movement
UnitedHealth shooting dredges up deep enmity at US health insurers
What did you think of this? Please leave a review.
‘Five Eyes’ powers warn of rise in online youth extremism
Google says AI weather model masters 15-day forecast

Others Also Read