SEOUL: After the sudden impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his attempt to impose martial law, South Korea’s acting president, Han Duck-soo, moved quickly to reassure both the country’s allies and the markets.
On Sunday, Han spoke to US President Joe Biden to emphasize that South Korea’s foreign and security policies would continue without disruption, ensuring that the strong South Korea-US alliance would remain intact.
“South Korea will carry out its foreign and security policies without disruption and strive to ensure the South Korea-US alliance is maintained and developed steadfastly,” Han said in a statement issued by his office.
The phone call with Biden came after the political crisis caused by President Yoon’s martial law declaration rattled financial markets and raised concerns about South Korea’s stability, particularly in relation to its ability to handle threats from North Korea.
Following the call, the White House issued a statement confirming the unwavering strength of the US-South Korea alliance, with Biden assuring Han that Washington would continue to support Seoul. The US president also emphasized the importance of trilateral cooperation between the US, South Korea, and Japan.
“President Biden expressed his confidence that the Alliance will remain the linchpin for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region during Acting President Han’s tenure,” the White House said.
In South Korea, there were also efforts to stabilize the situation at home. The opposition Democratic Party, which had initially threatened to impeach Han over his role in the controversial martial law decision, announced that it would not pursue further impeachment proceedings.
“Given that the prime minister has already been confirmed as acting president and considering that excessive impeachments could lead to confusion in national governance, we have decided not to proceed with impeachment procedures,” said Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party.
(Inputs from Reuters)
South Korea’s Acting Prez Speaks to Joe Biden, Assures Allies Amid Political Turmoil world-news World News | Latest International News | Global World News | World Breaking Headlines Today
