Regarding Yoon's Detention... US State Department Says "South Korea Shows the Strength of Democracy"

President Yoon Suk-yeol has been arrested on charges including leading a rebellion and is under investigation by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Unit (PCC), while the U.S. State Department has evaluated that the foundation of democracy in South Korea is strong.

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Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the State Department, stated at a regular briefing on the 15th (local time) in response to questions about the domestic controversy in South Korea surrounding the PCC's arrest of President Yoon, "Issues regarding the interpretation of Korean law are matters for Korean courts to decide."

Spokesperson Miller referred to his visit to South Korea on June 5-6 accompanying Secretary of State Antony Blinken, mentioning meetings with Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, and said, "One of the things we saw in South Korea is that South Korea's democratic resilience is functioning."

He added, "As Secretary Blinken said, every country sometimes faces its own tests of democracy," and "Here in the United States, we also faced a very substantial test of democracy." This remark referred to the incident on January 6, 2021, when supporters of then-President Donald Trump, who refused to accept the 2020 U.S. presidential election results, stormed the Capitol.

Spokesperson Miller emphasized, "What matters is how a nation responds to tests of democracy," and "What we have seen is that South Korea responds to such tests in a way that demonstrates the strength of its democratic foundation."

On the 20th, ahead of the inauguration of the Trump administration, Miller, who appeared for his final press briefing of the Biden administration, cited the improvement of South Korea-Japan relations as a representative diplomatic achievement of the Biden administration regarding South Korea. He said, "During this administration's term, you have witnessed us bringing South Korea and Japan together in ways many thought unlikely," and "That is an excellent foundation for security in the Indo-Pacific."

When asked what advice he would give to the Trump administration regarding South Korea, he replied, "The next administration should inherit the trilateral (South Korea-U.S.-Japan) cooperative relationship and build upon it (diplomatic achievements)."