S. Korea-US-Japan forum on women's empowerment postponed amid martial law turmoil

South Korea's vice foreign minister for strategy and intelligence Cho Koo Rae, right, U.S. assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs Daniel Kritenbrink, left, Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau director general Hiroyuki Namazu, poses for a photo at the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, provided by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Dec. 9. Yonhap

A planned trilateral forum between South Korea, the United States and Japan was postponed due to "unforeseen circumstances," the State Department said Thursday, as Seoul is reeling from the aftermath of President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law attempt last week.

The three countries had planned to hold the Trilateral Conference on Women's Economic Empowerment at the State Department in Washington on Thursday and Friday. It was intended to bring together government officials and people from civil society and the private sector.

"We regret to inform you that due to unforeseen circumstances, the U.S.-Japan-ROK Trilateral Conference on Women's Economic Empowerment scheduled for December 12-13 has been postponed," the department said in response to a question from Yonhap News Agency. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

Following the martial law episode, Seoul and Washington put off a session of the Nuclear Consultative Group, the allies' key nuclear deterrence body, and a related exercise, which were scheduled for Dec. 4-5. The Korea portion of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's trip to the Indo-Pacific this week was also canceled.

The postponements and cancellation of those events have raised concerns that political turmoil in Seoul could negatively affect security coordination between South Korea and the United States over growing North Korean threats and other shared challenges.

Mindful of such concerns, U.S. officials have reaffirmed America's "ironclad" commitment to the bilateral alliance. (Yonhap)