South Korean President Yoon barred from leaving the country, remains in power

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol apologised for the “anxiety and inconvenience” caused to the South Korean people but stopped short of resignation.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol was barred from travelling abroad on Monday despite surviving an impeachment motion in parliament two days ago for his controversial yet unsuccessful decision to enforce martial law.

A protestor wears a cut-out of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in a rally calling for his impeachment, who declared martial law, which was reversed hours later, near the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea.(REUTERS)

The Ministry of Justice confirmed that Yoon had become the first sitting South Korean president to be banned from leaving the country, news agency AFP reported.

“Yes, that's right,” Bae Sang-up, an immigration services commissioner, replied during a parliamentary hearing to a question on whether such a decision has been taken.

Former defence minister Kim Yong-Hyun, currently in detention, and ex-interior minister Lee Sang-min have also been placed under travel bans.

In the armed forces, General Park An-su, the officer in charge of the martial law operation, and defence counter-intelligence commander Yeo In-hyung are also facing similar restrictions.

Is South Korean President still in power?

South Korea's defence ministry confirmed on Monday that Yoon remains the head of the country's security apparatus, despite the apparent power vacuum amid tensions with North Korea.

“Legally, (control of military forces) currently lies with the commander in chief,” AFP quoted the defence ministry spokesperson Jeon Ha-kyou as saying.

Yoon apologised for the “anxiety and inconvenience” caused to the South Korean people but stopped short of resignation, saying he would leave the decision to his party. He also offered to accept political and legal responsibility for the blunder.

“It seems to resemble an unconstitutional soft coup,” said Kim Hae-won, a constitutional law professor at Pusan National University Law School. He also pointed out that there is no constitutional basis for Yoon to stay as president but hand over power to unelected party officials.

“If there are issues with the president, there are ways laid out in the constitution such as suspending the president from his duties, and then move on to proceedings set out in the constitution, such as impeachment,” he told AFP.

Opposition parties have vowed to try impeaching Yoon again by introducing another vote this week. Huge crowds are expected to gather again outside the National Assembly building on Saturday when opposition leader Lee Jae-Myung is expected to introduce the impeachment proposal.