Tokyo is monitoring the political situation in Seoul with “exceptional and serious concern”, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Wednesday, after the establishment and then lifting of martial law overnight by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Shigeru Ishiba, the Japanese Prime Minister, spoke to journalists and also indicated that he had no knowledge “no reports of injured Japanese nationals” in South Korea. He added that the Japanese government was taking “all possible measures” to ensure the safety of its nationals, in particular by issuing warnings via consular emails. “We will continue to do everything in our power to ensure their safety”declared the Prime Minister of Japan.
We learned this Wednesday morning that the opposition parties tabled a motion of censure.
Yoon Suk-yeol, South Korean Prime Minister, whose popularity rating was already extremely low, announced the establishment of martial law – a law giving military authorities the necessary powers to suppress internal disorder, according to the definition of Larousse – during a surprise speech late Tuesday, accusing the opposition of constituting “forces hostile to the State”.
It was in particular a conflict over the adoption of its budget in Parliament, where the presidential camp is in the minority, which ignited the powder. Since his election in 2022, Yoon Suk Yeol has sought to improve his country’s relations with Japan, a former colonial power, in the face of growing threats from North Korea. Tokyo and Seoul are key US allies in Asia.
south korea japan Shigeru Ishiba Yoon Suk-yeol
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