South Korean police investigating Yoon for insurrection

Seoul, December 5 — South Korean police are investigating President Yoon for alleged "insurrection" over his declaration of martial law, a senior police officer said Thursday.

Woo Jong-soo, head of the National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency, told lawmakers that "the case has been assigned", according to news agency AFP.

The police have been instructed to put an emergency travel ban on Kim Yong-hyun, the former Minister of National Defence, whose resignation was accepted this morning by President Yoon.

The move comes as authorities deem Kim a flight risk, according to local media reports.

Senior police official Woo Jong-soo said at a meeting today that he had instructed a security chief to "impose an urgent travel ban" on Kim and review any other measures that need to be taken.

Kim has apologised for his role in Tuesday's shock martial law declaration. Some local media reports say that he was the one who had suggested the idea of declaring martial law to Yoon - a claim that was repeated by Interior Minister Lee Sang-min during a briefing this morning.