U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has called off next week’s trip to South Korea in the aftermath of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law.
The outgoing secretary had planned one final visit to Japan and South Korea that week, but a South Korean diplomat said the latter was canceled. Going became difficult as Yoon fights for political survival amid a massive public backlash and an impending impeachment vote over his order earlier this week to impose martial law, which was canceled hours later by the National Assembly. Austin’s counterpart, Kim Yong-hyun, resigned after dispatching soldiers under Yoon’s order.
