WELCOME TO THE PROGRAM, FOREIGN MINISTER.

I WANT TO GET YOUR IMMEDIATE REACTION BOTH POLITICALLY AND PERHAPS EVEN EMOTIONALLY SENSE YOU ARE FAR AWAY FROM YOUR COUNTRY.

>> IS, I WAS WATCHING THIS ON TV THIS MORNING AS I USUALLY DO EVERY MORNING WATCHING WHAT IS HAPPENING IN MY COUNTRY AND SAW THE PRESIDENT MAKING THIS ANNOUNCEMENT WHICH WAS JUST COMPLETELY OUT OF THE BLUE.

NOTHING ABOUT THE CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND THE COUNTRY WARRANTED THIS, SO IT WAS SHOCKING, TO PUT IT MILDLY, BUT WAS RELIEVED TO SEE THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ACTING VERY QUICKLY TO PASS A RESOLUTION OVERTURNING THIS.

SO THE ONLY STEP REMAINING IN THIS PROCESS IS FOR THE PRESIDENT TO ACCEPT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE DECLARATION HE MADE ON MARTIAL LAW IS NOW NULL AND VOID.

PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE I UNDERSTAND IS CURRENTLY VERY QUIET, CITIZENS HAVE GATHERED AROUND THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO PROTEST AND TO MAKE THEIR POINT THAT THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE, THE WAY IT HAS BEEN HANDLED, THOUGH IT HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.

SO WE WILL GET A BETTER SENSE IN THE MORNING HOURS BUT CURRENTLY I THINK ALL SIDES, INCLUDING KEY FIGURES IN THE RULING PARTY, CLEARLY PRESSING THE POINT THAT THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE.

>> THIS IS AN ABERRATION.

>> YOU COME ACROSS SO MANY ISSUES OF BILATERAL IMPORTANCE WITH ASIA AND THE UNITED STATES AND SO MANY OTHER ISSUES.

IN YOUR EARLY-MORNING TWEET, YOU SAID THE PRESIDENTIAL DECISION, HE MUST ACCEPT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY VOTE OVERTURNING IT.

WHAT IF HE DOESN'T?

WHAT POWER DOES HE HAVE?

IT LOOKS LIKE ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION WE HAVE NOW THAT THE MILITARY IS FOLLOWING THE PARLIAMENTARY THICKLY ANNULLING THIS LAW AND DECLARING IT VOID.

DO YOU EXPECT THAT TO HOLD?

DO YOU EXPECT THE MILITARY TO OBEY THE PARLIAMENT OR TO OPEN THE PERSON OF THE PRESIDENT?

>> WELL, I THINK THE RULE OF LAW REQUIRES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RULE.

AND THE WAY THE MARTIAL LAW ITSELF WAS DECLARED WAS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE REQUIREMENTS AS FAR AS THE CONSTITUTION IS CONCERNED BECAUSE IT WAS DONE OUT OF THE BLUE WITHOUT GOING THROUGH THE NECESSARY REQUIREMENT OF GOING THROUGH A CABINET DECISION.

SO IT DOESN'T SEEM ANY OF THE MINISTERS WERE AWARE THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN ASIDE FROM THE DEFENSE MINISTER, OBVIOUSLY.

IT SEEMS THAT THERE WAS PREPARATION ON THAT SIDE BECAUSE THE TANKS WERE ROLLING IN, THE HELICOPTERS WERE IN THE AIR, MINUTES AFTER THE DECREE WAS ANNOUNCED, SO CLEARLY THE MINISTER OF DEFENSE AND HIS CLOSE ADVISORS WERE PREPARED.

BUT ON THE POLITICAL SIDE, NONE OF THE KEY POLITICAL ACTORS EVEN WITHIN THE RULING PARTY SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN AWARE OF WHAT WAS COMING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT FROM THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE.

THE TWO KEY POLITICAL LEADERS FROM THE RULING PARTY AND THE OPPOSITION PARTY HAVE, AFTER THE NATIONALISM LABELED, HAS COME UP WITH A STATEMENT THAT I THINK IS VERY STABILIZING.

POINTING THIS OUT THAT THE WAY THE MARTIAL LAW WAS DECREED WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, IT DID NOT FOLLOW PROCESS SO IT IS ILLEGAL, AND THEREFORE ANY ORDER GIVEN UNDER THE SO-CALLED DECLARED MARTIAL LAW IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL, UNLAWFUL, AND THEREFORE ANY PUBLIC SERVANT INCLUDING THE MILITARY AND POLICE SHOULD NOT BE FOLLOWING ANY ORDERS COMING FROM THAT AUTHORITY WHICH IN ITSELF IS UNLAWFUL.

>> FOREIGN MINISTER, THE PRESIDENT IS FROM THE RIGHT- WING PEOPLE POWER PARTY, AND SO THE QUESTION IS, WHO IS HE AND WHY DID HE DO THIS?

THE REASONS HE GAVE WAS THAT HE COULDN'T DO THE BUSINESS OF GOVERNMENT BECAUSE OF THE TREACHERY OF NORTH KOREAN SPIES AND COMMUNIST HOLDOUTS INSIDE THE BODY POLITIC.

WHO IS THIS PERSON?

>> WELL, THERE ARE KEY ADVISORS, KEY MINISTERS WHO ARE STAUNCH ANTI-COMMUNIST.

THE WAY HIS VIEW HAS BEEN SHAPED HAS BEEN VERY MUCH INFLUENCED BY THESE HARD-LINE CONSERVATIVES, BUT FROM NOT TO JUMP TO THIS IDEA THAT THERE ARE COMMUNIST SYMPATHIZERS, EMPIRE STATE AGENTS SCHEMING TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT, IS COMPLETELY OUT OF THE BLUE.

COMPLETELY UNRELATED TO ANYTHING I CAN SEE HAPPENING IN THE COUNTRY.

IS, THE POLITICS IS VERY FRAGMENTED, VERY DIVISIVE, VERY POLARIZED.

BUT THEN IT IS THE ROLE OF THE PRESIDENT, THE DUTY OF THE PRESIDENT TO BE TRYING TO BRING THE COUNTRY BACK TOGETHER, AND HE HAS GONE EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE.

MORE POLARIZED, MORE EXTREMIST IN THE MESSAGES THAT HE HAS BEEN DELIVERING TO THE COUNTRY.

AND THIS IS ASIDE FROM ALL THE WRONGDOINGS THAT ARE BEING PUT TO -- BEFORE HIM AND THE FIRST LADY.

AND I THINK THAT PROBABLY WAS ALSO A BIG PART OF THE POLITICAL PRESSURE THAT HE WAS FEELING, THAT THEN LED TO HIM DECIDING TO GO THIS WAY.

>> TO YOU, AS I SAID -- SOUTH KOREA IS A VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT ALLY OF THE UNITED STATES AND CLEARLY THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION IS, AS THEY SAY, WATCHING ALL OF THIS UNFOLD VERY, VERY CLOSELY.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IMMEDIATELY ABOUT WHETHER THERE IS ANY THREAT TO BE ALLIANCE STRUCTURE OR ANY OF THE ISSUES THAT THE U.S. AND SOUTH KOREA AND ALLIES IN THE REGION ARE HAVING TO DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS?

>> I WOULD CERTAINLY HOPE NOT AND I THINK GIVEN THAT THE VOICES AGAINST THIS OUT OF THE BLUE DECISION FROM THE PRESIDENT , BOTH FROM THE RULING SIDE, THE OPPOSITION CAMP, AND A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE RULING PARTY, THE PARTY OF THE PRESIDENT, CLEARLY IN AGAINST THIS DECISION BY THE PRESIDENT, I THINK IS SOMETHING THAT WILL ADD TO BRINGING THIS BACK TO STABILITY.

I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT THIS WILL END UP AS BEING AN OVERNIGHT HAPPENING.

BUT THERE ARE SIGNS THAT THIS COULD GO -- THE CHAOTIC DEVELOPMENTS COULD CONTINUE FOR A WHILE.

BUT I CERTAINLY DON'T THINK THAT THIS WILL HAVE ANY EFFECT ON THE ALLIANCE.

I THINK THE SUPPORT FOR THE ALLIANCE IS SOLID ON THE PART OF THE UNITED STATES.

I THINK ON THE KOREAN SIDE ALSO , BOTH THE RULING AND OPPOSITION, THE CENTRAL IMPORTANCE OF THE ALLIANCE TO THE SECURITY AND THE WELL-BEING OF THE COUNTRY IS BIPARTISAN, SO I AM NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE EFFECT OF THIS ON THE ALLIANCE.

AND, THE DETERRENCE THAT THE COMBINED FORCES HAVE.

>> YEAH, AND OF COURSE YOU DO HAVE NORTH KOREA, QUITE AN EMBOLDENED NORTH KOREA PARTNERING WITH RUSSIAN NOW JUST ACROSS THAT EMD.

QUICKLY AND FINALLY, WE HAVE ABOUT 30 SECONDS, YOU SAID IT WAS UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

IS THERE ANY WAY THE PRESIDENT CAN COME BACK AND DO IT IN A CONSTITUTIONAL MANNER?

OR IS THIS PRESIDENT POTENTIALLY FINISHED?

>> I THINK THIS MOVE HAS ONLY FURTHER UNDERMINED HIS AUTHORITY.

I DON'T SEE HOW HE CAN FIND HIS WAY OUT OF IT.

AND I THINK THE ONLY THING THAT REMAINS FOR HIM TO DO, THE MINIMUM THING AND THE FINAL THING HE MUST DO IS TO ACCEPT THE DECISION OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY AND CALL THE SOUTH.

THAT WOULD ALSO REQUIRE THE PROCEDURES OF GOING THROUGH THE CABINET MEETING AND THEN POSTING THIS PUBLICLY.

>> WITH INCREDIBLE CHAOS.

AS YOU SAID, THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1980 THAT MARTIAL LAW WAS DECLARED IN YOUR COUNTRY.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, REALLY IMPORTANT INSIGHTS.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

THANK YOU.