US welcomes S.Korea leader’s reversal on martial law

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.

“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 United States was “relieved” Yoon had “reversed course on his concerning declaration,” according to a spokesperson for the US National Security Council.

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.

Biden was briefed on the situation in South Korea during his visit to Angola, where he arrived on Monday for his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa as president.

The US embassy in Seoul said it was cancelling routine appointments on Wednesday as a precaution. Despite Yoon lifting martial law, “the situation remains fluid,” an embassy notice said.

Washington stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect it from North Korea, its nuclear-armed neighbor.

The United States and South Korea have long carried out joint exercises, infuriating the North, which views them as rehearsals for invasion and has frequently conducted weapons tests in retaliation.

Biden has also fostered the relationship between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo as a bulwark against both North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.

Yoon has been a close ally of the United States, with Biden welcoming him on a state visit last year and South Korea in March hosting a global democracy summit, a signature idea of the outgoing US administration.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory in November, the South Korean president congratulated the Republican, saying he hoped to work closely with the incoming US administration.