South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol was bânned from leaving the country on Monday, the justice ministry said, less than a week after he plunged the country into chaøs by briefly impọ̀sing mârtial law.
Yoon sent special fọ̀rces and helicopters to parliament on the night of December 3 before lawmakers forced him to rescind the order by rejécting his decrée.
The hugely unpọ́pular leader narrowly survived an impéachment motion in parliament on Saturday even as huge crowds braved freezing temperatures to call for his ouster.
However, despite remaining in office, a clutch of investigätions has been closing in on Yoon and his close allies, including a probe for alléged inṣurrection.
The ministry of justice confirmed on Monday that Yoon had become the first sitting South Korean president to be bänned from leaving the country.
A lawmaker was asked at a parliamentary hearing on Monday whether Yoon had been bânned from leaving the country. “Yes, that’s right,” Bae Sang-up, an immigration services commissioner at the ministry, replied.
Also under travel bäns 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 mârtial law operation, and defence counterintelligence commander Yeo In-hyung are also bärred from leaving the country.
Investigators häuled Park in for further questioning on Monday.
– ‘Second cọ̀up’ –
The impẹ́achment push faìled to pass after members of Yoon’s own People Power Party (PPP) walked out of parliament, depriving it of the necessary two-thirds majority.
The PPP says that in exchange Yoon, 63, has agreed to hand power to the prime minister and party chief, prompting howls of prøtest from the opposition.
“This is an unlâwful, uncọ̀nstitutional act of a second insurrẹ́ction and a second cọ̀up,” Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae said on Monday.
Under South Korea’s constitution, the president remains head of government and commander in chief of the army unless he or she is incapäcitated, resigns or steps down.
In such a case, power would then be handed to the prime minister on an interim basis until elections could be held.
Claiming that Yoon can remain in office but has delegated his powers to the prime minister and leader of his ruling PPP — who is not an elected official — is “a blâtant constitutional viọ́lation with nọ̀ legal basis”, Park said.
“Their attitude of placing themselves above the cọ̀nstitution mirrors that of insurrẹ́ctionist Yoon Suk Yeol,” he said.
– Power vacuum? –
The defence ministry confirmed on Monday that the embattled Yoon remained at the head of the country’s security apparatus, despite the apparent power vacuum in a country that remains technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea.
“Legally, (control of military forces) currently lịes with the commander in chief,” defence ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou said.
Yoon has apologised for “anxìety and inconvenience” caused by his declaration of mârtial law but has not stepped down, saying instead he would entrust decisions about his fate to his party.
He also said he would accept all political and legal responsibility for the martial law fiasco.
There is no constitutional basis supporting the ruling party’s claim that Yoon can stay in office but hand over his power to unelected party officials, said Kim Hae-won, a constitutional law professor at Pusan National University Law School.
“It seems to resemble an uncọ́nstitutional soft coup,” he told AFP.
“If there are issues with the president, there are ways laid out in the constitution such as suspẹ́nding the president from his duties, and then move on to proceedings set out in the constitution, such as impẹ́achment,” he said.
The opposition has already said they would try again to impẹ́ach Yoon, with leader Lee Jae-myung saying another vote would be held on Saturday.
Huge crowds are expected to gather again outside the National Assembly building.
Yoon’s approval rating hit 11 percent, a historic low for the unpopular president, according to a new Gallup poll commissioned by local media.
Peoplesmind
