US Secretary of Defense dismisses ”the impact of martial law in South Korea”... ”Our relationship with South Korea is as strong as iron”

On the 9th, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stated that "the state of emergency in South Korea will not affect the US-ROK alliance."
According to the South Korean news agency Yonhap News on the 9th, Secretary Austin was anchored at Yokosuka Naval Base that day.
"We believe that the political uncertainty and turmoil caused by the state of emergency in South Korea will have an impact on the U.S.-South Korea alliance and on our response to security threats from North Korea," he said at a press conference aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, where the US is currently stationed.
In response to the question, "Will our relationship with South Korea be as strong as iron?" Secretary Austin said, "It will continue to be that way."
He continued, "Seniors and senior military officials on the ground, including the Chief of Staff and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are maintaining communication channels and interacting with partners to stay focused on the mission."
"I'm confident that South Korea will overcome its domestic political challenges, but I won't make any statements about that," Austin said. "Our relationship is strong, and we
"We continue to focus on the defense of the Korean Peninsula," he said. When asked if there was a possibility that North Korea would launch a provocation amid the political crisis in South Korea, he said, "I don't see it that way yet."
"We continue to focus on what changes there are in the current situation, but as you know we haven't seen that yet."