South Korea: Yoon Suk Yeol protested as his prison term approached

The situation has consequences beyond domestic politics.

Until last month, the Biden administration had praised Yoon, who was happy to work with Washington to deal with security threats posed by North Korea and China. The United States has made great efforts to help South Korea mend its strained relationship with Japan so that the three countries can work together to resolve these issues.

Mr Blinken’s ongoing trip to Seoul, where he will meet South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul on Monday, comes at a difficult time for the two allies.

Yoon did not inform the United States of his plans to impose martial law, meaning Washington had no chance of dissuading him and was unprepared for the chaos that ensued.

Blinken will not want to be involved in the current political situation. Instead, he will want to focus on maintaining trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo after Biden takes office.

Speaking during a joint news conference on Monday, Blinken said the United States has “full confidence” in South Korean institutions and reaffirmed the US government’s “unwavering support for the Korean people as they work tirelessly to support these institutions.”

“Over the past four decades, Korea has written one of the world’s most powerful, inspiring democratic stories,” Blinken said.

Korean democracy has been tested in recent weeks – just as American democracy has faced challenges throughout our history. But you respond by demonstrating your democratic strength.”

However, it is difficult to separate domestic and geopolitical situations. South Korea is months away from electing a new president, and that leader may want to disrupt Yoon’s foreign policy.

Trump, who will enter the White House in two weeks, will also implement his agenda.

Additional reporting by Hosu Lee and Leehyun Choi in Seoul