在被韩国总统尹锡悦的周二宣布戒严令的决定拜登政府拒绝谴责这一举动，因为它试图解释这个美国亲密盟友罕见但戏剧性的政治动荡。
白宫、五角大楼和国务院的官员都表示，周二他们正与韩国同行保持密切联系，试图评估形势。目前正在安哥拉访问的乔·拜登总统也表示，他在结束讲话后“刚刚得到有关事态发展的简报”。
周二早些时候，美国副国务卿库尔特·坎贝尔表示，美国政府正“严重关切地”关注着韩国的事态发展但是坎贝尔和华盛顿的其他官员也强调了他们所说的美国和韩国之间“牢固”的伙伴关系。
尽管两国关系密切，但白宫和国务院都表示，美国没有事先得到尹昶重实施戒严令的通知。美国官员没有公开谴责尹昶重的决定，但也没有认可他的指控，即韩国反对党参与了与朝鲜的“反国家”活动——这是尹昶重暂时中止文官统治的原因。
“这是一个非常不稳定的情况。在这一点上，我不会妄下任何结论，”国务院副发言人韦丹特·帕特尔说周二说。“所有的希望和期待都是，任何政治争端都将根据法治和平解决。”
就在尹昶重发表声明几个小时后，这一决议似乎开始受到关注。在一个戏剧性的场景中，韩国立法者在午夜穿过抗议者和军车聚集在国会大楼，在场的议员一致投票结束军事统治。
不久之后，尹昶重服从了这一决定，解除了戒严令，并表示执行戒严令的部队已经撤离。
“我们感到欣慰的是，尹总统改变了他宣布戒严令的方针，并尊重韩国国会结束戒严令的投票结果。美国国家安全委员会发言人在一份声明中告诉美国广播公司新闻，民主是美韩联盟的基础，我们将继续监控局势。
“这是一颗躲过的子弹，”退休的美国人说海军少将·马克·蒙哥马利。“我认为美国政府可能希望发生什么，并保持沉默，看看它是否会发生。”
现任保卫民主基金会高级主管的蒙哥马利说，韩国的明显结果——民主进程战胜了专制本能——还远未得到保证。
“我认为韩国是一个陷入困境的民主国家。朝鲜不断施压，中国也不断施压，现在俄罗斯给朝鲜一些东西，”他说。“他们就像台湾、乌克兰、以色列一样，是站在反对这种接触的前线的四面楚歌的民主国家。”
尽管如此，这场骚乱平息了人们对拜登政府及其在海外推动民主的传统，以及通过加强该地区其他伙伴关系来遏制中国的战略的新的失望。
在拜登的任期内，韩国一直是一个受青睐的盟友。总统今年4月对尹进行了国事访问，并邀请该国主办民主峰会。民主峰会是拜登创立的一年一度的大会，旨在推广民主价值观。
美国军方在韩国也有很大的影响力，有近3万名军人驻扎在韩国。在尹昶重实施戒严令以来的首次安全警报中，美国驻首尔大使馆警告在该国的美国人，“局势仍然不稳定”，尽管尹昶重已经宣布解除戒严令。
自1953年朝鲜战争结束时两国签署共同防御条约以来，美国一直致力于帮助韩国自卫。
尽管韩国希望翻过戒严令这一页，但蒙哥马利表示，随着尹越来越强烈的反对，韩国与美国的联盟仍可能面临一些不确定性。
“尹走过了卢比孔河，”他说。"他的政治生命受到质疑。"
US has 'grave concern' as South Korea imposes, then overturns, martial law
After being caught off guard by South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol'sdecision to declare martial law on Tuesday, the Biden administration declined to condemn the move as it struggled to explain the close U.S. ally's rare but dramatic episode of political turmoil.
Officials from the White House, Pentagon and State Department all said they were in close contact with their South Korean counterparts on Tuesday as they tried toassess the situation. President Joe Biden, who is currently traveling in Angola, also said he was "just getting briefed" on developments after wrapping up an address.
Earlier on Tuesday, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said the administration was watching developments unfold in South Korea with "grave concern." But Campbell and other officials across Washington also underscored what they said was an "ironclad" partnership between the United States and South Korea.
Despite the close alliance, both the White House and State Department said the U.S. was not given advance notice of Yoon's intention to impose martial law. U.S. officials did not publicly denounce Yoon's decision but also did not endorse his allegations that South Korea's opposition party was involved in "anti-state" activities with North Korea -- Yoon's stated reason for temporarily suspending civilian rule.
"This is an incredibly fluid situation. I'm not going to jump to any conclusions at this point," State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patelsaid on Tuesday. "Every hope and expectation is that any political disputes will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the rule of law."
That resolution appeared to be coming into focus just hours after Yoon's declaration. In a dramatic scene, South Korean lawmakers worked their way through throngs of protesters and military vehicles to gather in the National Assembly building during the middle of the night, where members of the body who were present unanimously voted to end martial rule.
Soon after, Yoon complied with the decision by lifting his martial law declaration and said troops deployed to enforce the order had already been withdrawn.
"We are relieved President Yoon has reversed course on his concerning declaration of martial law and respected the ROK National Assembly's vote to end it. Democracy is at the foundation of the U.S.-ROK alliance, and we will continue to monitor the situation," a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson told ABC News in a statement.
"This is a bullet dodged," said retired U.S.NavyRear Adm. Mark Montgomery. "I think the U.S. government probably was hoping for what happened and stayed muted to see if it would happen."
Montgomery, now a senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the apparent outcome in South Korea -- democratic processes triumphing over an authoritarian instinct -- was far from guaranteed.
"I consider South Korea a beleaguered democracy. There's constant pressure from North Korea, constant pressure from China, and now you have Russia giving things to North Korea," he said. "They are, like Taiwan, like Ukraine, like Israel, a beleaguered democracy on the front lines against this access."
Still, the tumult poises fresh frustration for the Biden administration and its legacy of promoting democracy abroad, as well as its strategy of containing China by bolstering other partnerships in the region.
South Korea has been a favored ally through Biden's term in office. The president honored Yoon with a state visit in April and tapped the country to host the Summit for Democracy -- an annual convention created by Biden with the intent of promoting democratic values.
The U.S. military also has a large footprint in South Korea, with nearly 30,000 troops stationed in the country. In its first security alert since Yoon moved to impose martial law, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul warned Americans in the country that "the situation remains fluid" even though Yoon has announced that the order has been lifted.
The U.S. has also been committed to helping South Korea defend itself since the two countries signed a mutual defense treaty at the end of the Korean War in 1953.
Even as South Korea looks to turn the page from its brush with martial law, Montgomery said its alliance with the U.S. is still likely to face some uncertainty as Yoon confronts mounting backlash.
"Yoon walked across the Rubicon," he said. "His political life is in question."
