The Prime Minister is in Japan and had planned to visit South Korea on Thursday – which is now being put on hold.
– It was a fairly natural decision after the night’s events, says Ulf Kristersson (M) on location in Tokyo.
The government has been in contact with its South Korean counterpart during Wednesday morning, local time, and is working to find a new time for the visit going forward.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol imposed a special state of emergency on Tuesday. A few hours after the criticized announcement, he then lifted the state of emergency.
The Swedish delegation has followed the events during the night.
– I think everyone is quite surprised by the development, but I have no other knowledge than what we have followed in the media, says Ulf Kristersson.
Have you been in contact with the president?
– Not personally, but we have diplomatic channels for this. We concluded that under the current circumstances it is not appropriate to visit, but we will do it later.
Energy and Food Minister Ebba Busch (KD), Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) and Aid and Foreign Trade Minister Benjamin Dousa (M) would also have gone to South Korea.
Ebba Busch says that it is “deeply regrettable” that the visit will not take place.
– We are following developments very closely and look forward to being able to visit South Korea at a later date. It is an important cooperation country for us in terms of innovation and energy, she says.