US expresses confidence in South Korea’s democracy as ally is roiled by constitutional crisis

BLINKEN IN SEOUL: ‘OUR RELATIONSHIP IS BIGGER THAN ANY ONE LEADER’: In his fourth and final visit to South Korea as secretary of state, Antony Blinken arrived in Seoul amid a deepening political upheaval in the country and increasingly bellicose provocations from the North.

As the country’s anti-corruption agency is attempting to arrest Yoon Suk Yeol — who was impeached last month for his attempt to impose martial law and is now holed up in a hillside compound with a contingent of presidential guards — Blinken met with acting leader Choi Sang-mok and his foreign minister counterpart Cho Tae-yul and expressed confidence that South Korea’s democracy is strong enough to survive the constitutional crisis.