South Korea’s short-lived imposition of martial law late on Tuesday was “the result of a domestic political dispute,” National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) told reporters on the sidelines of a legislative meeting yesterday, adding that Taiwan was watching to see if the incident would have any long-term effect on the region.
The bureau is providing regular updates on the incident to President William Lai (賴清德), who is visiting Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the South Pacific, Tsai said.
Lai has instructed the NSB to closely monitor the situation in South Korea, he added.
Photo: Bloomberg
The NSB would continue to monitor developments to determine whether there would be any long-term effects on South Korea’s domestic politics or security on the Korean Peninsula and the region as a whole, Tsai said.
The bureau would assess whether the incident might cause domestic instability to a degree that it affects social order in South Korea and Taiwanese living in or visiting the country, he said.
Lai weighed in on social media.
Photo: Chen Yi-kuan, Taipei Times
The world, including Taiwanese, are concerned about the situation in South Korea, he wrote.
He was in the Marshall Islands when the reports emerged and had immediately been briefed on the matter by the NSB, he said.
He instructed the bureau to stay on top of the issue, update him on related information and prepare response measures to ensure national security, as well as protect Taiwanese in South Korea, he wrote.
Visiting three countries — and crossing the date line twice due to his stopover in Hawaii — from the Marshall Islands to Tuvalu, and Guam on his stopover yesterday before visiting Palau tomorrow, Lai said that the countries on his Pacific tour all value democracy.
“Taiwan’s democracy was hard-earned,” he said. “The values of democracy and freedom are the cornerstone of Taiwan’s connections with the world, and is a lifestyle that we cherish and protect from generation to generation.”
“The path of democracy is the one we continue to walk,” he added.
Tsai’s and Lai’s remarks came after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared emergency martial law in South Korea late on Tuesday night, claiming that opposition forces in the National Assembly were engaging in “anti-state actions” related to North Korea.
South Korea’s National Assembly voted in the early hours of yesterday to lift the martial law, and Yoon lifted the decree hours later after conferring with his Cabinet.
Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday called on Taiwanese traveling to South Korea to avoid taking part in political gatherings or protests while there for their own safety.
For the time being, the ministry said that it would maintain its lowest level “gray” alert for the country, but added that it could change depending on developments.
In case of emergency, Taiwanese in South Korea should call its office in Seoul at (+82) 10-9080-2761 or its branch office in Busan at (+82) 10-4537-7961, it said.
The ministry uses a four-tiered travel advisory regarding safety and security risks.
The lowest level, “gray,” says caution should be exercised; “yellow” says travel should be reconsidered; “orange” says unnecessary travel should be avoided; and “red” advises against travel to a destination.
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