South Korean officials seek stability as Joe Biden says alliance 'linchpin' in region

Source: The Guardian

Sun 15 Dec 2024 02.14 EST
Last modified on Sun 15 Dec 2024 02.19 EST


South Korea’s opposition leader, Lee Jae-myung, has offered to work with the government to ease political tumult as officials sought to reassure allies and markets – a day after the opposition-controlled parliament voted to impeach the conservative president, Yoon Suk Yeol, over a short-lived attempt to impose martial law.

South Korea’s central bank vowed on Sunday vowed to keep markets stable, while the South Korean financial regulator said it would expand market-stabilising funds if necessary.

Joe Biden on Sunday called the US alliance with South Korea a “linchpin for peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region” after a call on Saturday with Han Duck-soo, the prime minister who has become the acting president while a constitutional court deliberates over whether to permanently remove Yoon from office.

South Korean lawmakers voted on Saturday to impeach Yoon over his brief declaration of martial law, which plunged the country into some of its worst political turmoil in decades.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/15/south-korean-officials-seek-stability-as-joe-biden-says-alliance-linchpin-for-peace