South Korean president bannes from leaving the country

By Alimat Aliyeva

The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea has imposed a travel ban on President Yoon Suk-yeol, Azernews reports.

"The travel ban on President Yoon Suk-yeol has been in effect since about 15:30 (10:30 Baku time) on December 9," an employee of the department in charge of migration issues told The Ton Ilbo newspaper.

This is the first time that a travel ban has been applied to the current president. Earlier, the head of the Anti-Corruption Investigations Department for High-Ranking Officials had announced that he instructed officials to request a ban on Yoon’s departure from the country. The investigation into President Yoon’s actions is related to suspicions of mutiny and possible unconstitutional behavior.

Under South Korean law, the sitting president can face criminal prosecution on charges of rebellion or treason.

The controversy escalated on the evening of December 3 when President Yoon, in response to what he described as "pro-North Korean elements" and the paralysis of the executive branch due to opposition actions in Parliament, imposed martial law. However, the martial law was lifted about six hours later. On December 4, the opposition initiated impeachment proceedings, arguing that the president had violated the constitution, as there were no legal grounds for declaring martial law.

On December 7, the South Korean National Assembly voted on the impeachment of President Yoon. However, the vote was not passed due to a boycott by members of the ruling party. Prior to the vote, President Yoon publicly apologized to the citizens of South Korea, stating that he had entrusted the resolution of the crisis—including the issue of his potential removal—from office to the ruling party and the government.

The situation is rapidly evolving and is closely watched both domestically and internationally. The political turmoil comes amid growing tensions within South Korea regarding the balance of power between the presidency and the opposition-controlled Parliament.