Prosecutors Ban Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun's Departure Over 'Martial Law Proposal'... Opposition Raises 'Overseas Escape' Allegations
The prosecution imposed a travel ban on former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who proposed martial law to President Yoon Suk-yeol, on the 5th. This move came amid allegations of 'overseas escape' raised by the opposition as Kim faces accusations of treason and other charges.
According to the legal community, the Public Investigation Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Chan-gyu) imposed the travel ban on former Minister Kim through the Ministry of Justice on the same day. Kim, a key figure in the martial law incident, tendered his resignation shortly after the martial law was effectively nullified. Originally, he was supposed to attend the National Assembly Defense Committee's urgent inquiry in his capacity as Defense Minister that day, but he did not appear after President Yoon approved his dismissal just before the Defense Committee meeting.
Earlier, Park Seon-won, a member of the National Assembly Defense Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, raised the possibility of Kim fleeing abroad, claiming to have received intelligence that Kim had booked an outbound flight that day.
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The Labor Party, Green Party, and Justice Party filed a complaint with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office the previous day, accusing President Yoon, former Minister Kim, and Army Chief of Staff Park An-soo (who was martial law commander at the time) of treason under the Criminal Act. The prosecution assigned the case to the Public Investigation Division 1. Additionally, the Citizens' Committee for the Protection of the Common People and Livelihoods filed complaints with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office against Kim for abuse of power, treason, obstruction of special official duties, and insulting the Speaker of the National Assembly, while the Citizens' Action for Judicial Justice filed complaints with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials for treason and abuse of power charges.
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