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Top police officials banned from leaving Korea due to martial law probe

Published: 10 Dec. 2024, 11:00 Updated: 10 Dec. 2024, 14:28

Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, speaks at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

Top police officials have been banned from leaving the country by the National Office of Investigation (NOI) in connection with President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law.

The NOI’s special investigation unit, which is probing the martial law declaration made by Yoon on Dec. 3, announced Tuesday that it had imposed travel bans on Cho Ji-ho, commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency, Kim Bong-sik, chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Mok Hyun-tae, head of the National Assembly Police Guard.

The travel bans were issued through the Ministry of Justice at around 8 p.m. on Monday.

Travel bans were also imposed on key figures linked to the deployment of martial law forces, including Lee Jin-woo, head of the Capital Defense Command and Gen. Kwak Jong-keun, head of the Special Warfare Command.

Additionally, the NOI has requested the submission of materials related to the deployment of unit members in connection with the martial law declaration from the Defense Counterintelligence Command, Capital Defense Command, Cyber Operations Command, Defense Intelligence Command, Special Warfare Command and the Ministry of National Defense.

"Given the gravity of the matter, we urge swift cooperation," said the special investigation unit.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]