President banned from leaving country

Dec 10, 2024, 11:06 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks to the public at the presidential office in Seoul on Dec. 7, 2024./ Source: Presidential Office

AsiaToday reporter Kim Im-soo & Kim Chae-yeon

The Ministry of Justice on Monday has banned President Yoon Suk-yeol from leaving the country in connection with the emergency martial law case. This is the first time such a ban has been imposed on an incumbent president of Korea for any reason.

Oh Dong-woon, the chief prosecutors at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO), informed the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee that he had instructed investigators to apply for the overseas travel ban to the justice ministry, which subsequently accepted the request.

Bae Sang-up, a Justice Ministry official, said the ministry imposed the overseas travel ban on Yoon as authorities including the police, the prosecution and the CIO investigate allegations of treason and abuse of power in connection with his short-lived declaration of martial law last week.

The justice ministry accepted the request for the ban on the grounds that the issue is serious and that there is no separate regulation under the current law that excludes incumbent presidents from the prohibition of departure.

The CIO formed a ‘Martial Law Task Force’ led by Chief Investigator Lee Dae-hwan. It has requested the prosecution and police to transfer the emergency martial law case by invoking the right to request the transfer.

#Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials