A state media commentary issued from Pyongyang said: “The shocking incident of the puppet Yoon Suk-yeol, who is facing impeachment and a governance crisis, suddenly declaring a martial law decree and unhesitatingly wielding the guns and knives of its fascist dictatorship wrought chaos across South Korea.”
Yoon had said his declaration of martial law was intended, in part, to safeguard South Korea “from the threats posed by North Korea’s communist forces and eliminate anti-state elements”.
Relations between the two Koreas have been at one of their lowest points in years, with the North launching a flurry of ballistic missiles in violation of UN sanctions.
Former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun had been accused by opposition lawmakers of calling for strikes on sites from which North Korea was launching trash-carrying balloons, an order reportedly refused by his subordinates.
He also allegedly ordered drones sent to Pyongyang in an apparent attempt to provoke a conflict as a pretext for declaring martial law.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in Tokyo on Tuesday that Washington’s deterrence commitment to South Korea – where it has around 28,500 troops – and to Japan remained “ironclad”. — AFP
