The United States said it was “seriously concerned” on Wednesday after South Korea, one of Washington’s closest allies, unexpectedly declared martial law, with US President Joe Biden briefed on the situation during his visit to Angola.
The White House said it had not been notified in advance of the move made late Tuesday by President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea, adding that it was in contact with the government in Seoul and was monitoring the situation “closely”.
“We are seriously concerned by the developments we are seeing on the ground in the ROK,” a spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council said, using the official acronym for the Republic of Korea.
“I’m just getting briefed on” the situation in South Korea, Biden told reporters travelling with him in Angola, where he arrived late on Monday for his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as president.
Washington stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect it from North Korea, its nuclear-armed neighbour.
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.
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‘It’s painful’: newest North Korean weapon against the South is blood-curdling noise
‘It’s painful’: newest North Korean weapon against the South is blood-curdling noise