South Korea's Justice Ministry has banned the country's President Yoon Suk Yeol from traveling abroad as authorities investigate suspicions of rebellion and other charges linked to his short-lived declaration of martial law last week.
The president's decision last Tuesday, which has resulted in the deployment of special forces on the streets of Seoul, has plunged South Korea into political turmoil and raised concerns among partners and neighbors.
On Saturday, Yoon fended off an opposition attempt to oust him from power after several lawmakers boycotted the voting process in Parliament.
However, the opposition has said it will submit the new motion this week.
Bae Sang-up, a ministry official, told a parliamentary hearing that he had barred Yoon from leaving the country, following requests from police, prosecutors and the anti-corruption agency as investigations into the president's actions widen.
On Monday, a senior official of the National Police Agency told reporters that the police could even arrest the president if all the conditions were met.
Although a sitting president in South Korea has immunity from prosecution while in power, the same does not apply when it comes to suspicions of rebellion or treason.
This means Yoon could be questioned and detained by the police over his martial law decree.
Still, many observers doubt the police will stop him by force, as there is the potential for major clashes with the presidential security service.
As he declared martial law last week, Yoon called parliament a "den of criminals" and vowed to eliminate "shameless supporters of North Korea".
Yoon's decision to declare a state of war lasted only six hours, because the National Assembly voted to overturn this measure./ REL (A2 Televizion)
A2 CNN Livestream
MUND TE LEXONI GJITHASHTU
