U.S. White House "I didn't get prior notice of martial law...Deeply concerned"

[Anchor]
The White House expressed grave concern about the situation in South Korea, saying it had not been notified in advance of President Yoon's declaration of an emergency martial law.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stressed that the South Korea-U.S. alliance is as strong as iron.

Connect to Washington. Correspondent Hong Sang-hee!

[Reporter]
Yes. It's Washington.

[Anchor]
The White House said it had not been notified in advance of the declaration of an emergency decree, right?

[Reporter]
The White House says it has not been notified before the declaration of martial law in South Korea.

A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said the U.S. had not been informed in advance of the declaration of emergency martial law in response to a YTN query regarding the declaration of martial law.

He also said that he is seriously concerned about the development of the situation in Korea.

U.S. President Biden, who is currently visiting Angola, also said he was briefed on South Korea's declaration of emergency martial law there.

There was a briefing from the U.S. State Department a while ago, and questions were asked about the situation of emergency martial law in Korea.

Vedant Patel, a deputy State Department spokesman, said the country's laws and rules should be observed in the country and that the South Korean parliament's resolution to lift martial law should be observed.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell also said he hopes to have a peaceful resolution under the law.

He also emphasized the ironclad Korea-U.S. alliance and that the U.S. is on the side of South Korea in uncertain times.

Let me listen to Deputy Secretary Campbell for myself.

[Kurt Campbell / U.S. Deputy Secretary of State] We are watching the developments in Korea with grave concerns. Here and in Seoul, we are trying to engage with all the South Korean officials of supply and demand, and (Biden) President, National Security Adviser and Secretary of State have all been briefed on the situation and are constantly being briefed on the assessment of the situation. I want to emphasize that the alliance with South Korea is ironclad, and I want to emphasize that the United States is on the side of South Korea in times of uncertainty. I would also like to stress that I fully hope and expect any political dispute to be resolved peacefully and in line with the rule of law.]

The U.S. Department of Defense also said in a briefing that there has been no change in the U.S. Forces Korea's posture since the declaration of an emergency martial law in South Korea.

[Anchor]
There are also a series of emergency reports from foreign media. What is the reaction of the American media?

[Reporter]
The U.S. media is all shocked by the emergency martial law situation in Korea.

CNN cites YTN and others to report on the progress of Korea's martial law declaration, which came out on the 3rd local time, including the passage of the National Assembly's access control and the approval of a resolution to lift the emergency martial law.

CNN reported that South Korea, a modern democracy, has fallen into a politically unknown sea, and that while South Korean politics has long been divided, no leader has ever gone as far as declaring martial law.

The Washington Post also stressed that President Yoon's declaration of martial law in South Korea, which collapsed the military regime 40 years ago due to democratization, is shocking.

The Associated Press said Yoon's declaration of martial law was the first since democratization in 1987, reminiscent of an authoritarian leader not seen in South Korea since the 1980s.

On the Korea-U.S. alliance, CNN analyzed that the political instability that is currently sweeping Korea will have a cross-border repercussion, including in Washington.

[Anchor]
Let's take a look at the state of the stock market.

[Reporter]
Korean stocks listed on the U.S. stock market plunged shortly after martial law was declared.

Shortly after the news of martial law broke on the New York Stock Exchange on the 3rd, Coupang plunged 9.8% during the day, and POSCO Holdings also fell more than 7%.

However, as the National Assembly passed a resolution calling for the lifting of martial law, the fall was reduced.

Coupang and POSCO Holdings fell in the 4% range, while KB Financial Group and SK Telecom fell in the 1%-2% range.

Investment products from major Korean companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange, including exchange-traded funds ETFs, also fell more than 7% during the day, causing the martial law shock.

So far, I've delivered it from Washington.