News
NSB monitoring Korea
The National Security Bureau (NSB) says it is continuing to monitor the situation in South Korea to see if the short-lived imposition of martial law late Tuesday will have any long-term impact on the region.
According to bureau director-general Tsai Ming-yen, his agency is providing regular updates on the incident to President Lai Ching-te who is currently on a visit to the South Pacific. Tsai says Lai has instructed the NSB to closely monitor the situation in South Korea. The NSB head says the agency is also following whether the incident leads to domestic instability to a degree that it affects social order in South Korea and Taiwanese living in or visiting the country.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is advising Taiwanese traveling to South Korea to avoid taking part in political gatherings and/or protests while there for their own safety. The ministry says it will maintain its lowest level grey alert for the country but is indicating that could change depending on new developments.
In related news, the DPP has deleted a social media post claiming that Taiwan's legislature faces a similar situation to that which prompted South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to declare martial law.
The post read: "The South Korean parliament has been manipulated by North Korean forces" and "South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced emergency martial law nationwide to protect the free constitutional system." The post also suggested that opposition parties in the Legislative Yuan had repeatedly obstructed national security proposals, "unconstitutionally expanded" their powers, and cut the defense budget. It was posted by an account run by the party's legislative caucus on Threads. However, it was deleted within 20 minutes after it was made, and a statement criticizing martial law was posted in its place.
The KMT has slammed the post and is calling on President Lai Ching-te to apologize, while the Taiwan People's Party has also criticized the quickly deleted DPP post - saying that "today's DPP has a martial law mentality hidden in its heart."
