South Korea martial law move a domestic row: Taiwan intelligence head

Taipei, Dec. 4 (CNA) Taiwan's intelligence chief said Wednesday that South Korea's short-lived imposition of martial law late Tuesday was "the result of a domestic political dispute" and that Taiwan was watching to see if the incident will have any long-term impact on the region.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a legislative session, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said his agency is providing regular updates on the incident to President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), who is currently on a visit to the South Pacific.

Lai has instructed the NSB to closely monitor the situation in South Korea, according to Tsai.

The NSB will continue to monitor the latest developments to see if it will have a long-term effect on South Korea's domestic politics or security in the Korean Peninsula and the region as a whole, Tsai said.

The agency will also follow whether the incident leads to domestic instability to a degree that it affects social order in South Korea and Taiwanese living in or visiting the country.

Early Wednesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reversed the martial law order, just six hours after Yoon issued the surprise decree that plunged Seoul into political uncertainty and sparked a fierce backlash, according to media reports.

Yoon declared martial law in a surprise late-night address on Tuesday, accusing the main opposition party of sympathizing with North Korea and of anti-state activities.

He specifically cited a motion by the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in parliament, to impeach top prosecutors and reject a government budget proposal, to support his imposition of martial law.

The last time a South Korean president declared martial law was in 1980, during a nationwide uprising led by students and labor unions.

South Korean lawmakers promptly worked swiftly to block the martial law decree in the hours after Yoon's declaration, with 190 of the 300 members of parliament voting to overturn the measure.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Wednesday called on Taiwanese traveling to South Korea to avoid taking part in political gatherings and/or protests while there for their own safety.

For the time being, MOFA said it will maintain its lowest level gray alert for the country, but it indicated that could change depending on new developments.

In case of emergency, Taiwanese citizens in South Korea should call its office in Seoul at +82-10-9080-2761 or its branch office in Busan at +82-10-4537-7961, MOFA said.

MOFA uses a four-tiered travel advisory regarding safety and security risks.

The lowest level, gray, signifies caution should be exercised; yellow suggests travel should be reconsidered; orange indicates unnecessary travel should be avoided; and red asks nationals not to travel to a destination.