The presidential office has defended President Yoon Suk Yeol’s actions to major foreign media outlets, saying on Wednesday that the declaration and withdrawal of martial law by President Yoon Suk Yeol occurred within the bounds of the Constitution.

According to a report by Reuters, the top office stated that while there have been criticisms that the declaration of emergency martial law was excessive and did not follow proper procedures, it was, in strict terms, carried out within the constitutional framework.

The comments come as this week’s emergency martial law declaration has caught the attention of many global media outlets.

The presidential office also told foreign media outlets that President Yoon had to declare martial law in response to actions by the opposition party that undermined national security.

It further explained that the declaration was made late at night to minimize the impact on the daily lives of citizens and the economy, adding that the deployment of the martial law troops occurred an hour after Yoon issued the decree.