Japan monitors situation in South Korea

By Anjali Sharma

WASHINGTON – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Thursday that Japan was carefully watching the situation in South Korea with ‘particular and grave’ concerns.

“We have been monitoring (developments) since the overnight declaration of martial law with particular and grave concerns,” Ishiba told reporters.

He added that he is not in a position to comment on South Korea’s domestic affairs, media reported.

“We don’t know the exact details of what happened, but declaring martial law is a serious matter,” Kyodo News cited a source from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying.

The situation in South Korea might be chaotic, and Japan will monitor how the situation unfolds, the source added.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared an emergency martial law on Tuesday night and lifted it early on Wednesday after the National Assembly’s vote against it.

South Korea President should lift martial law when the 300-member parliament demands the lifting with a majority of lawmakers voting in favour in accordance with the Constitution.