SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – The chief of a South Korean office that investigates high-ranking officials says he has instructed investigators to seek a travel ban on President Yoon Suk Yeol during a growing probe of his short-lived martial law decree.
Oh Dong-woon, chief prosecutor of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, made the comment during a parliamentary hearing on Monday. The office is one of several law enforcement bodies, including public prosecutors and police, investigating the circumstances around Yoon's declaration of martial law.
Oh said the travel ban hasn't been imposed yet.
South Korean police earlier said they are considering placing an overseas travel ban on Yoon as they investigate possible rebellion charges over his brief imposition of martial law last week.
Yoon's martial law decree last Tuesday, which brought armed special forces troops into Seoul streets, is plunging South Korea into political turmoil and causing worries from its key diplomatic partners and neighbors.
On Sunday, Yoon avoided an opposition-led bid to impeach him, with most ruling party lawmakers boycotting a floor vote. But the opposition parties vowed to submit a new impeachment motion against him this week.
On Monday, a senior National Police Agency officer told local reporters in a background briefing that police are considering banning Yoon from leaving the country as they investigate charges of rebellion. The officer said police can also detain Yoon if conditions are met.
The contents of the briefing were shared with The Associated Press.
While a sitting South Korean president has immunity from prosecution while in office, that does not extend to allegations of rebellion or treason. This means that theoretically Yoon can be questioned and detained by police over his martial law decree, but many observers doubt if police can forcefully detain him or search his office because of the potential for clashes with his presidential security service.
In the case of ex-President Park Geun-hye, who was thrown out of office in 2017 after her parliamentary impeachment over a corruption scandal, state prosecutors failed to search her office and ended up receiving documents outside the compound because presidential officials turned them away.
After refusing to meet with prosecutors while in office, Park underwent questioning by prosecutors and was arrested after the Constitutional Court approved her impeachment and ruled to dismiss her as president in March 2017.
The main opposition Democratic Party called Yoon's martial law imposition "unconstitutional, illegal rebellion, or a coup." It has filed complaints with police against at least nine people, including Yoon and his former defense minister, over the alleged rebellion.
South Korean prosecutors on Sunday detained former Defense Minister Kim Yong Hyun, who allegedly recommended Yoon declare martial law. He became the first person detained over the martial law case.
The Defense Ministry last week separately suspended three top military commanders over their alleged involvement in imposing martial law. They were among those facing the opposition-raised rebellion allegations.
On Saturday, Yoon issued an apology over the martial law decree, saying he won't shirk legal or political responsibility for the declaration. He said he would leave it to his party to chart a course through the country's political turmoil, "including matters related to my term in office."
Since taking office in 2022 for a single five-year term, Yoon, a conservative, has been on a near-constant collision course with his liberal rivals who control parliament. The liberals have introduced a slew of motions to impeach some of his top officials and launched a fierce political offensive against him over a spate of scandals involving Yoon and his wife.
In his martial law announcement on Tuesday night, Yoon called parliament a "den of criminals" bogging down state affairs and vowed to eliminate "shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces."
Yoon's martial law decree lasted only six hours after the National Assembly voted it down, forcing Yoon's Cabinet to lift it before daybreak Wednesday. Some members of Yoon's ruling People Power Party cast ballots against Yoon's decree, but the party later decided to oppose his impeachment.
Experts say Yoon's party fears losing the presidency to liberals in a by-election if he is impeached and ousted, like they did after Park was removed from office.
PPP leader Han Dong-hun said Sunday his party will push for Yoon's early and orderly exit from office in a way that minimizes social confusion, but he didn't say when that would happen. He also claimed Yoon will not be involved in state affairs, including foreign policy.
Critics say Han likely wants to buy time to help his party restore public confidence. His comments on sidelining Yoon from state affairs has also sparked widespread concern and criticism that it goes against the constitution.
During a Monday briefing, the Defense Ministry said that Yoon maintained control of the military, a power the constitution explicitly reserves for the president.