NATO chief "Respecting the rule of law to lift martial law in South Korea"...EU 'Welcome' Statement

"I think that South Korea's announcement of lifting the emergency martial law shows its continued commitment to the rule of law," NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutter said.

At a press conference held in Brussels, Belgium on the afternoon of the 4th (local time), Secretary-General Rutter responded to the question, "Do you worry that the political turmoil in South Korea could affect NATO-South Korea cooperation regarding the dispatch of North Korean troops?"

"Since South Korea is an important partner of NATO, we are closely watching the development of the situation and will continue to watch it," he said. "South Korea is a strong supporter of Ukraine and I hope it will continue to be so."

In the morning, Secretary-General Rutter said, "We are very interested in how the situation will develop in the future," adding, "For us, relations with South Korea are very important and ironclad, and this will not change."

When NATO, a democratic ally, pointed out that it should criticize the undemocratic behavior of an important ally such as South Korea, it reserved its answer, saying, "Let's first look at how the Korean people can cope with the situation."

Regarding South Korea's emergency martial law situation, the European Union's foreign ministry, the Foreign Affairs Office, issued a separate statement in the name of its spokesman, saying, "We welcome the lifting of the emergency martial law after the South Korean parliament voted to reject it."

"We reaffirm our close strategic partnership with South Korea based on common interests and shared values on democracy, human rights and the rule of law," he stressed.

"It's not a question we'll answer," Anita Heifer, a spokeswoman for EU foreign affairs and security, said at a regular briefing when asked by foreign journalists whether she still sees Yoon Suk Yeol as a reliable partner.