South Korean president banned from leaving country

SEOUL: South Korea´s President Yoon Suk Yeol was banned on Monday from travelling abroad, the justice ministry said, less than a week after he plunged the country into chaos by briefly imposing martial law.

Yoon sent special forces and helicopters to parliament on the night of December 3 before lawmakers forced him to rescind the order by rejecting his decree. The unpopular leader narrowly survived an impeachment motion in parliament on Saturday even as huge crowds braved freezing temperatures to call for his ouster.

Despite remaining in office, a clutch of investigations has been closing in on Yoon and his close allies, including a probe for alleged insurrection. The ministry of justice confirmed on Monday that Yoon had become the first sitting South Korean president to be banned from leaving the country. A lawmaker was asked at a parliamentary hearing on Monday whether Yoon had been banned from leaving the country. “Yes, that´s right,” Bae Sang-up, an immigration services commissioner at the ministry, replied.

Also under travel bans for their roles in last week´s events are former defence minister Kim Yong-hyun -- currently in detention -- and ex-interior minister Lee Sang-min. General Park An-su, the officer in charge of the martial law operation, and defence counterintelligence commander Yeo In-hyung are also barred from leaving the country. Investigators hauled Park in for further questioning on Monday, and Yonhap news agency reported late Monday that prosecutors had asked for a warrant for Kim´s formal arrest.