Suk Yeol: South Korea bans President from leaving country

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol has been banned from international travel on Monday.

The president’s travel ban was confirmed on Monday, by Bae Sang-up, an immigration services commissioner at the justice ministry, during a parliamentary hearing.

As gathered by the Diaspora Digital Media (DDM), Suk Yeol faced impeachment proceedings after his declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024.

The opposition parties submitted a bill to impeach him, citing his actions as a violation of the Constitution.

However, the impeachment votes failed due to a boycott by the ruling People Power Party (PPP) lawmakers.

It resulted in only 195 lawmakers present,  which is short of the required 200 votes needed to impeach.

Also, Kim Yong-Hyun, currently detained, and Lee Sang-min face international travel bans for their roles in the recent martial law controversy.

On a similar note, the officer responsible for implementing martial law, General Park An-su, and the commander of defense counterintelligence, have been prohibited from international travel due to their involvement in the recent martial law controversy.

Furthermore, Senior politicians from the People Power Party (PPP) suggest that President Suk Yeol can continue in office while delegating his powers to the prime minister.

However, Park Geun-Hye has deemed the proposal as a “blatant constitutional violation with no legal basis”.

Opposition parties remain resolute, vowing to introduce another impeachment motion this week.

Earlier on Saturday, Yoon Suk Yeol, just hours before the parliament was set to vote on his impeachment, apologized for his brief attempt to impose martial law.

He expressed regret for the decision and vowed to accept any legal or political repercussions.

He acknowledged that the move was driven by desperation and assured the public that he would not attempt to impose martial law again.

The apology came just hours before the parliament was set to vote on his impeachment.

Why did Yoon Suk Yeol declare martial law?

DW News reported that the president’s reason for declaring martial law is to prevent the country from what he called Communist forces.

Yoon Suk Yeol while addressing the nation stated: “I declare martial law to protect the free public of Korea from the threat of North Korea Communist forces to eradicate the Despicable pro-north Korean anti-state forces that are plundering the freedom and happiness of our people and to protect the free constitutional order.”

Reactions of South Koreans

The controversy which began on December 3, 2024, following Yoon Suk’s declaration of martial law, sparked widespread protests and opposition.

The declaration of martial law led to the deployment of military personnel and police at the National Assembly, with helicopters seen landing on the roof of the building.

Local media broadcast footage of masked, armed troops entering the National Assembly building, while staff members attempted to resist them using fire extinguishers.

The military issued a decree at 23:00 local time on Tuesday, imposing a ban on protests and activities by parliament and political groups, while also bringing the media under government control.

Know also about Suk Yeol

Suk Yeol born on December 18, 1960, is a South Korean politician and attorney who has served as the 13th president of South Korea since 2022.

He is a member of the People Power Party (PPP), he served from 2019 to 2021 as the prosecutor general of South Korea under his presidential predecessor, Moon Jae-in.

Suk Yeol was born in Bomun-dong, and raised in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun District.

His father, Yoon Ki-Jung, was a renowned economist and professor emeritus at Yonsei University, while his mother, Choi Seong-ja, was a lecturer at Ewha Woman’s University.

He attended Daegwang Elementary School, Joongrang Middle School, and Choongam Middle School before graduating from Choongam High School.

The Korean President then pursued law at Seoul National University, earning a Bachelor of Laws in 1983 and a Master of Laws in 1988.

Early career

Suk Yeol began his career as a prosecutor at the Daegu Public Prosecutor’s Office in 1994, where he led the Special Branch and Central Investigation Department.

One of his notable achievements during this period was the arrest of Assistant Commissioner Park Hui-won, who was found corrupt despite opposition from bureaucrats in the Kim Dae-Jung cabinet.

Yoon’s career also involved a brief stint as a lawyer at Bae, Kim & Lee in 2002, but he soon returned to prosecution work, taking on cases involving pro-Roh Moo-Hyun figures such as Hee-jung and Kang Keum-won.

In 2006, he successfully prosecuted Chung Mong-koo for his involvement in a slush fund case at Hyundai Motor Company.

Additionally, Yoon worked with the independent counsel team in 2008 to resolve the BBK incident related to President Lee Myung-bak.

Throughout his career, Yoon has demonstrated a strong commitment to combating corruption and upholding the law.

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