US says it is watching events in South Korea with grave concern

By David Brunnstrom, Trevor Hunnicutt and Ismail Shakil

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said on Tuesday the United States was watching events in U.S. ally South Korea with “grave concern” and had every hope and expectation that any political disputes would be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.

Campbell spoke at an event at the U.S. State Department after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in a surprise late-night TV address earlier on Tuesday, creating the most serious challenge to South Korea’s democracy since the 1980s.

South Korean lawmakers rejected Yoon’s move in a vote and protesters gathered outside parliament. Live television footage showed helmeted troops attempting to enter the National Assembly building. Parliamentary aides were seen trying to push the soldiers back by spraying fire extinguishers.

“We are watching the recent developments in ROK with grave concern,” Campbell said, using the acronym for Republic of Korea. “We’re seeking to engage our (South Korean) counterparts at every level, both here and in Seoul.”

Campbell said U.S. President Joe Biden, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken were being kept appraised of the situation as it developed. He stressed that the U.S. alliance with South Korea was “ironclad” and added:

“We stand by Korea in their time of uncertainty. I also want to just underscore that we have every hope and expectation that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law.”

A White House spokesperson said the U.S. was not notified in advance of Yoon’s announcement and added: “We are seriously concerned by the developments we are seeing on the ground.”

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Ismail Shakil; Addtional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt in Luanda; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Deepa Babington)