(4 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brussels, Belgium – 4 December 2024
1. Wide of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken walking to podium
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Antony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State:
"When it comes to South Korea, let me just say this. We’re obviously watching the developments very closely. This is one of our closest partners and allies around the world. We welcome (South Korean) President Yoon’s statement withdrawing the martial law order, and there was a unanimous vote in the National Assembly to reject the decision, and he followed up on that. In our judgment, any political disagreements need to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law. Korea has been an extraordinary story, an extraordinary success story over the last three or four decades. And the story that it tells of building the strong democracy and one, again, where we see the institutions functioning as they should, is one that we thought was important to amplify and to show and that’s, of course, with Korea wanting to take on the summit for democracy, we were delighted at that and we had a very successful summit. But again, I think Korea is one of the most powerful stories in the world, about the emergence of democracy and democratic resilience, and will continue to look to Korea to set that example."
3. Mid of journalists
STORYLINE:
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said Washington welcomed a decision by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to withdraw his martial law decree.
Yoon imposed martial law late Tuesday out of frustration with the opposition, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against opponents who control parliament and that he accuses of sympathizing with communist North Korea.
The country’s 190 lawmakers voted down Yoon’s martial law decree, with it lasting only about six hours before his Cabinet formally lifted it around 4:30 a.m.
"We welcome President Yoon’s statement withdrawing the martial law order," said Blinken.
"In our judgment, any political disagreements need to be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law," he added.
Blinken also praised South Korea for its "extraordinary success story" of building a strong democracy.
"I think Korea is one of the most powerful stories in the world, about the emergence of democracy and democratic resilience, and will continue to look to Korea to set that example," he said.
Yoon’s martial law declaration, the first of its kind in more than 40 years, harkened to South Korea’s past military-backed governments when authorities occasionally proclaimed martial law and other decrees that allowed them to station combat soldiers, tanks and armoured vehicles on streets or at public places like schools to prevent anti-government demonstrations.
Such scenes of military intervention had not been seen since South Korea achieved a democracy in the late 1980s until Tuesday night.
A spokesperson for the National Security Council said President Joe Biden’s administration was not notified in advance of the martial law announcement.
AP video shot by: Mark Carlson.
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