US "Relieved by President Yoon's Martial Law Lift... Monitoring Situation" (Comprehensive)

"Democracy is the Foundation of the Korea-US Alliance"

The U.S. government expressed "concern" over South Korea's state of emergency under martial law and showed relief at the lifting of martial law following a resolution by the South Korean National Assembly. It expressed hopes that the situation, which raised concerns about security turmoil in South Korea and Northeast Asia, would be resolved peacefully and early.

According to CNN on the 3rd (local time), a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council (NSC) stated, "We are relieved that President Yoon Suk-yeol respected the South Korean National Assembly's vote to lift martial law, reversing the concerning declaration of martial law."

White House, U.S. Photo by Yonhap News

They also said, "Democracy is the foundation of the South Korea-U.S. alliance," and "We will continue to closely monitor the situation."

U.S. President Joe Biden, who is visiting Angola, said he was briefed on the matter locally.

Kurt Campbell, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Indo-Pacific Affairs, said after the South Korean National Assembly passed the resolution to lift martial law, "We are closely watching recent developments in South Korea with serious concern," adding, "The President, the National Security Advisor, the Secretary of State, and others have all been briefed on the situation and continue to receive ongoing assessments." He also emphasized, "I want to stress that our alliance with South Korea is ironclad, and we stand with South Korea during this uncertain time," adding, "We hope and expect that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law."

Vedant Patel, Senior Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, said during a briefing that regarding the South Korean National Assembly's passage of the resolution demanding the lifting of martial law, "Our hope and expectation is that the laws and rules of a particular country are respected within that country."

Pat Ryder, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, responded to a question about changes in the posture of U.S. Forces Korea following the declaration of martial law by saying, "As far as I know, there have been no changes. Basically, there has been no impact on U.S. forces." When asked about support for the declaration of martial law, he said, "We will continue to monitor the situation," adding, "Our commitment to the alliance and the defense of South Korea is ironclad."