Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol held a telephone conversation to discuss the situation in South Korea, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said.
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“Minister Cho explained the situation in the Republic of Korea. Both ministers concluded that in light of the current strategic environment, the importance of the Japan-South Korea relationship remains unchanged, and agreed to continue close communication between the two governments. Both ministers reaffirmed the importance of close coordination between Japan and the Republic of Korea and the United States in bilateral and trilateral formats on North Korea, despite the increasingly complex situation,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a document.
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On the night of December 4, South Korean President Yun Seok-yeol announced the introduction of martial law “to purge pro-North Korean forces and maintain the liberal constitutional order.” Army special forces were sent to the National Assembly and tried to block the approaches to the building, but a significant number of deputies managed to get into parliament in advance, their supporters did not allow the military to get inside, and legislators unanimously adopted a resolution by 190 out of 300 votes demanding that the president lift martial law . The South Korean leader later apologized for introducing martial law in the country and said that he would not impose it again, and would not avoid political and legal responsibility. The South Korean opposition brought accusations of a coup against the president, Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, Minister of Internal Affairs and Security Lee Sang-min, as well as other key participants in the events from among the military and police.
