Taiwanese president woken up over South Korea martial law announcement

 Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, who is currently on a visit to the island democracy’s Pacific allies, was woken up by aides after South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law in the country, a senior Taiwanese official told CNN.

Lai was staying overnight in the Marshall Islands — one of Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies — when the news broke. His aides felt it was necessary to wake him up immediately and brief him of the developments, given its potential ramifications on regional tensions with North Korea, the official added.

Lai is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Friday, after making stopovers in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam. CNN previously reported that China could respond to Lai’s overseas visit by staging a new round of military drills, according to a senior security source in Taiwan