World reacts to South Korea declaring martial law

Yoon’s stunning announcement was South Korea’s first declaration of martial law in more than 40 years.

He said he was acting to protect the country from “threats” posed by North Korea and accused the opposition of being “anti-state forces”.

The Kremlin said the situation in South Korea after the declaration of martial law was “concerning” and it is paying close attention, Interfax news agency reported.

President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the agency: “We are watching closely”.

The UK government urged Britons to avoid political demonstrations in South Korea.

“That is a very fast-moving situation and, as you would expect, we are closely monitoring developments in South Korea,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s deputy spokesperson told reporters.

“We would advise all British nationals to monitor the UK’s travel advice for updates and follow the advice of local authorities,” he added.

The foreign ministry has updated its travel alerts for South Korea, warning British nationals to “avoid political demonstrations”.

China’s embassy in Seoul has warned its citizens to exercise “caution” after the imposition of martial law.

It advises Chinese nationals to “remain calm, monitor developments in South Korea’s political situation, enhance safety awareness, limit unnecessary outings, exercise caution when expressing political opinions”.

Yoon last month met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in person for the first time in two years on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru, where he called for greater cooperation with Beijing on “regional peace and stability”, the Yonhap news agency reported.

China is a key ally of North Korea, with whom Seoul remains technically at war and whose leader Kim Jong Un has engaged in escalatory rhetoric and military posturing this year.

The United Nations is monitoring the political upheaval in South Korea “very closely and with concern”, a spokesman told reporters.

Stephane Djuarric, spokesman for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told reporters. “The situation is evolving quickly”.

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

The US 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 North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.

The US State Department echoed the White House concern, with Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stating that Washington has “every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law”.

“I do want to underscore that our alliance with the ROK is ironclad, and we stand by Korea in their time of uncertainty,” he said.

South Korea’s Parliament voted overwhelmingly in the early hours of Wednesday to block Yoon’s declaration, though the military has said that martial law “will remain in place until lifted by the president”.

“Certainly it is our hope and expectation that the laws and regulations of a particular country are abided by. That does include the National Assembly vote,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Yoon has been a close ally of the US, 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.

After 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.

-Agence France-Presse