U.S. officials question martial law decree, urges democratic resilience

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U.S. officials question martial law decree, urges democratic resilience

Published: 05 Dec. 2024, 18:45

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

President Yoon Suk Yeol, front row center, and U.S. President Joe Biden, back row center, pose with other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders for a photo at the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru on Nov. 16. [AP/YONHAP]

The U.S. government’s remarks on the martial law incident in Korea this week are becoming increasingly blunt, indicating a growing critical perception in Washington over President Yoon Suk Yeol’s sudden move.

While a White House National Security Council spokesperson on Tuesday expressed that the United States was “relieved” that Yoon had backtracked from his “concerning” decision, a day later, a senior State Department official assessed that Yoon had “badly misjudged” in his declaration of martial law.

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, speaking at an event hosted by the Aspen Strategic Forum in Washington on Wednesday, said in response to a question about whether the U.S.’s failure to recognize the martial law situation beforehand was a failure of obtaining intelligence that what took place in Korea was “completely, deeply unpredictable and unlikely” and that Yoon had made a misjudgment.

“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,” Campbell said of the responses from Koreans in the aftermath of the martial law and the National Assembly’s vote to lift it.

Although Campbell added in his remarks that the U.S. goal would be to make clear that the Korea-U.S. alliance is “absolutely rock solid,” the fact that he used such strong expressions to assess the situation regarding the martial law is seen as the gradual emergence of Washington’s critical perception of Yoon.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also commented on the martial law debacle in Korea at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Wednesday, saying that Washington will continue to speak out "publicly" to strengthen the importance of South Korea's democracy.

“What we want to see is just the proper functioning of the democratic institutions of the ROK and after this rather dramatic announcement that raised alarm bells everywhere, including here in Washington, we have seen those processes and procedures work," said Sullivan, referring to Korea by the acronym for its official name, the Republic of Korea. "South Korea's democracy is robust and resilient, and we're going to continue to speak out publicly and engage privately with South Korean counterparts to reinforce the importance of that continuing as we go forward."

White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett also emphasized that Korea “is demonstrating democratic resilience” and that Washington is “confident the people of Korea will resolve this episode peacefully, democratically, and constitutionally,” in a post on social media.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed in a comment to Reuters that “it is very important that any disputes, differences, political differences, be resolved peacefully and pursuant to the rule of law,” saying that “South Korean democracy is one of the most powerful stories anywhere in the world.”

Blinken’s comments are seen as a strong message that emphasizes that even if there is any confrontation in politics, sticking to the basic democratic principles of dialogue and comprise instead of martial law is crucial.

American media reported in detail the news of the opposition parties’ impeachment motion against Yoon and expected future developments, highlighting the situation in Korea and voicing criticisms of Yoon.

The New York Times, calling the declaration of martial law Yoon’s “his boldest political gamble,” described the incident as the “most bizarre” such case in the history of Korea, assessing Yoon as now “politically isolated.”

Calling Korean democracy “not only intact but also strengthened” following the martial law declaration, the Washington Post warned that the incident could prove “troubling for Washington and Tokyo as they try to expand their three-way security cooperation” with Seoul.

Meanwhile, Koreans in the United States also expressed concerns regarding the martial law, holding a rally in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York on Wednesday and calling for the impeachment of Yoon, saying "he has destroyed democracy and constitutional order.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]