South Korean authorities prevented additional prominent officials from leaving the nation on Tuesday, according to Yonhap, following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed effort to establish martial law.
A day after Yoon was issued a travel restriction, his party was allegedly putting up a “resignation roadmap” that would see him step down in February or March before new elections.
Yoon suspended civilian rule a week ago and dispatched special troops and helicopters to parliament, but legislators pushed him to retract the edict in a country thought to be a stable democracy.
Investigators are looking into the president and a cabal of friends, many of whom attended the same school, for possible mutiny over the series of strange incidents.
On Tuesday Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, and two other top police officials became the latest to be banned from foreign travel, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Already confined to South Korean territory are the former defence and interior ministers, martial law commander General Park An-su and defence counterintelligence commander Yeo In-hyung.
Kim Yong-hyun, the former defense minister, was detained on Sunday, and prosecutors issued an official arrest order for him late Monday.
Charges such as “engaging in critical duties during an insurrection” coupled with “abuse of authority to obstruct the exercise of rights”.
A Seoul court will conduct a hearing later Tuesday to decide whether to issue the warrant for Kim, marking the first judicial judgment relating to the martial law crisis.
Kim apologized on Tuesday, stating that “all responsibility for this situation lies solely with me”.
In a statement sent through his attorneys, Kim “deeply apologised” to the South Korean people and stated that his subordinates were “merely following my orders and fulfilling their assigned duties”.
