South Korean authorities barred more high-ranking officials from leaving the nation on Tuesday, according to Yonhap, following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched effort to declare martial law.
A day after Yoon received a travel ban, his party was apparently working on a “resignation roadmap” that would see him step down in February or March before new elections.
Yoon suspended civilian control a week ago and dispatched special forces and helicopters to parliament, but legislators pushed him to withdraw the decision in a country that was thought to be a stable democracy.
Investigators are looking into the president and a gang of allies, many of whom attended the same school, for possible mutiny over the strange events.
Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, and two other top police officers were among those barred from travelling abroad on Tuesday, according to Yonhap.
The former defence and interior ministers, martial law commander General Park An-su, and defence counterintelligence chief Yeo In-hyung, are already imprisoned on South Korean soil.
Kim Yong-hyun, the former defence 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 hold a hearing later Tuesday to rule on whether to issue the warrant for Kim, the first court decision to be made over the martial law chaos.
Yoon narrowly escaped an impeachment attempt in parliament on Saturday, as tens of thousands braved cold weather to demand his removal.
On Monday, civic groups organised further candlelight vigils across the country, with several thousand people gathering outside Seoul’s legislative buildings.
The motion failed because members of Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) walked out of parliament, denying it the required two-thirds majority.
The PPP claims that in exchange, Yoon, 63, has consented to hand over power to the prime minister and party president, prompting the opposition to accuse the party of staging a “second coup.”
Local media claimed on Tuesday that the PPP will release a “resignation road map” soon in order to head off a new impeachment petition, which the opposition wants to present to parliament on Saturday.
The party’s task force was also allegedly considering two options: Yoon resigning in February with an April election or stepping down in March with a May poll.
