Speaker seeks US support for Korea amid growing uncertainties

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik (Yonhap)

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik met with Philip Goldberg, the United States ambassador to South Korea, to discuss the stability of the alliance following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration.

The speaker’s office said the meeting took place upon Woo's invitation at his National Assembly office in Yeouido, Seoul, on Thursday.

During the meeting, Woo asked for continued US support for Korea amid the political turmoil that followed the controversial martial law declaration last week.

“South Korea’s democratic system is demonstrating its capacity to address the situation in an orderly manner, in line with constitutional and legal principles,” Woo was quoted as saying.

“With uncertainty surrounding Korea’s security and economy expected to increase, support and cooperation from allies, including the US, would be of great help,” he added.

The speaker’s office also noted that both Woo and Goldberg reaffirmed the strength of the alliance during the discussion.

Later that day, US four-star general Paul LaCamera, who commands the South Korea-US Combined Forces Command, also stressed that the US is firmly committed to its ally.

"We remain prepared to respond to external threats while completely respecting South Korea's sovereignty and individual rights," LaCamera said during his teleconference with acting Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho.

"I will work to reassure the people of South Korea we stand ready to defend them," he added.

During the discussion, LaCamera and Kim also agreed on the importance of continuing South Korea-US combined training exercises as planned.

The two separate meetings came a day after Rep. Kim Joon-hyung of the minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party claimed that the US ambassador had reported to Washington during the martial law fiasco about difficulties in communicating with the Yoon government.

The US Embassy in Korea denied Kim's claim in a statement released on the social platform X.

Goldberg reportedly tried to contact Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on the night of the martial law declaration to seek an explanation but was unable to reach him.

The foreign minister confirmed he had not taken calls from the US ambassador that night. Cho explained that the urgency of the situation had left him unable to make a judgment and that he was concerned about providing inaccurate information to the US.