UN chief welcomes end of martial law in South Korea

Guterres commends swift end to a decree that caused 'a lot of confusion'

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's decision to end an emergency martial law decree, his spokesperson said Wednesday. Addressing a press briefing, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the brief martial law as “a few hours with a lot of confusion” and emphasized that Guterres is “very much” following developments. “I can tell you that the secretary-general welcomes the rescinding of the martial law decree and continues to follow the situation closely,” Dujarric said. The spokesperson highlighted the importance of South Korea’s institutions functioning effectively, saying it was significant the decree was withdrawn. Asked about freedom of expression concerns raised during the martial law period, Dujarric reaffirmed the UN’s stance. "I think everything unfolded extremely quickly in Korea," he said. "For us, the important thing is that now things have returned to the situation just, you know, more than, let's say, 48 hours ago, the martial law decree was rescinded. And my understanding is that the media is able to operate fully and freely in Korea right now." South Korean President Yoon imposed martial law late Tuesday, citing alleged “anti-state activities” by opposition groups. The Defense Ministry ordered military commanders to prepare and dispatched troops to enforce the decree, including entry into the National Assembly. But lawmakers managed to enter the parliament at midnight, and during an emergency session voted 190-0 to repeal the decree for army rule, rendering it void. Yoon complied with the parliament's decision, convened his cabinet and reversed the decision. He now faces impeachment.