Confidence in Seoul’s part in trilateral grouping shaken after Yoon’s botched martial law move

SINGAPORE/TOKYO – A

botched attempt by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to impose martial law

calls into question the country’s reliability as a major security partner, at a time when South Korea is playing an increasingly significant role in regional affairs.

The episode has shaken regional confidence in the country’s part in a trilateral grouping that includes Japan and the United States, as well as a budding rapprochement with Japan, amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and an assertive North Korea.