SEOUL, Dec 9,2024: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been banned from leaving the country over a failed attempt at imposing martial law, a justice ministry official said on Monday, amid growing calls for him to step down and a deepening leadership crisis.
Yoon has apologised for the botched attempt and said he was leaving his political and legal fate to his ruling People Power Party (PPP) but has not resigned. He has become a subject of criminal investigation, according to local media reports.
On Monday, the defence ministry said Yoon was still legally commander in chief, but growing dissent among senior military officers against the president has thrown into question his grip on power.
Oh Dong-woon, the head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, said he had barred Yoon from foreign travel, when asked at a parliament hearing what actions have been taken against the president.
A justice ministry official, Bae Sang-up, told the committee the travel ban order had been executed.
The panel was established in 2021 to investigate high-ranking officials including the president and their family members but it does not have authority to prosecute the president. Instead it is by law required to refer the matter to the prosecutors’ office.
While Yoon survived an impeachment vote in parliament on Saturday, his party’s decision to delegate presidential authority to the prime minister has plunged the key U.S. ally into a constitutional crisis.
Yoon has refused calls, including some from within his own ruling party, to resign, but his future looked more uncertain over the weekend when Yonhap news agency reported he was under criminal investigation for alleged treason.
Prosecutors on Sunday arrested ex-defence minister Kim Yong-hyun over his alleged role in the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, Yonhap reported.
Yoon gave the military sweeping emergency powers on Dec. 3 to root out what he called “anti-state forces” and obstructionist political opponents. He rescinded the order six hours later, after parliament voted against the decree.
Amid the backlash, multiple military officials, including the acting defence minister, have said they would not follow any new order to impose martial law again.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) has called for Yoon to be stripped of his authority over the military. The DP has also demanded the arrest of Yoon and any military officials implicated in the martial law fiasco.
The head of a task force established by Yoon’s party to handle his eventual and “orderly” resignation, Lee Yang-soo, said the team would consider all options and timing for the president’s early departure “without any limitations”.
On Sunday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said the president would be excluded from foreign and other state affairs, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would manage government affairs.
