WASHINGTON: The United States said Tuesday it was “closely” monitoring the situation in South Korea, one of Washington’s closest allies, where President Yoon Suk Yeol declared emergency martial law.

“The Administration is in contact with the ROK government and is monitoring the situation closely,” a spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council said, using the official acronym for the Republic of Korea.

Washington stations about 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect it from North Korea, its nuclear-armed neighbor.

South Korea president declares emergency martial law

The United States and South Korea have long carried out joint exercises, infuriating the North, which views them as rehearsals for invasion and has frequently conducted weapons tests in retaliation.

US President Joe Biden has also fostered the relationship between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo as a bulwark against both North Korea and an increasingly assertive China.

Yoon earlier this year hosted a Summit for Democracy, an initiative of Biden which seeks to protect democratic institutions globally.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s election victory in November, the South Korean president congratulated the Republican, saying he hoped to work closely with the incoming US president.