NYT "For Biden, Korean martial law is a test of the Korea-U.S. alliance."

The New York Times (NYT) evaluated that the relationship between the Biden administration and South Korea, which has valued democracy, faced a difficult situation due to President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of emergency martial law.

The New York Times reported on the 3rd local time that the U.S. alliance with South Korea has been put to the biggest test in decades when President Yoon declared martial law citing "the eradication of pro-North Korean anti-state forces."

The New York Times observed that President Biden will have to make a "tough choice" on how to deal with the crisis, given that he has strengthened military cooperation with South Korea to counter Russia, China and North Korea while implementing foreign policy under the framework of "democracy versus dictatorship."

The newspaper explained that Korea has been one of the most important U.S. allies in Asia over the past few decades because Korea has been a beacon of democracy in a region where powerful authoritarian countries compete with democracies.

He also pointed out that martial law in South Korea will be particularly painful because one of President Biden's top priorities was promoting democracy.

President Biden hosted the first Democratic Summit by inviting democracies around the world to the United States in December 2021 with the aim of strengthening democracy against authoritarian countries such as Russia, China, and North Korea.

Since then, the Biden administration has co-hosted a second summit in March 2023 with South Korea, Costa Rica, the Netherlands and Zambia, while a third summit, the first outside the United States, was hosted exclusively by South Korea in Seoul in March.

At the third summit, U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken called South Korea "one of the strongest and most dynamic democracies in the world and a champion of global democracy" and said it was fitting for South Korea to host the summit.

The NYT reported that Mr. Yoon's domestic approval rating, which narrowly won the 2022 presidential election, is low, and that his actions targeting the opposition and Congress are reminiscent of then-President Donald Trump, who attempted to block Mr. Biden from taking office, who won the 2020 presidential election.

Trump has so far refused to concede defeat and insists on "election rigging" and supporters he encouraged have stormed the Capitol and used violence to block the certification of Biden's victory on Jan. 6, 2021.

The New York Times reported that the Biden administration appeared surprised by Yoon's declaration of martial law.