Yoon Suk-Yeol declared a state of emergency with accompanying martial law and sent special forces and helicopters to parliament on December 3. However, he was forced to back down after just six hours when 190 members of parliament had gathered and voted against it.
On Tuesday, a South Korean court issued a formal arrest warrant for Kim. Later, a court confirmed that the former defense minister had been formally arrested. Kim was already detained on Sunday when investigators suspected that there was a risk of evidence being destroyed.
The formal charge includes, among other things, "abuse of authority".
South Korean authorities have previously announced that they will prevent three more of the country's representatives from traveling abroad, as a consequence of the state of emergency last week.
The news that three high-ranking police officers are banned from traveling came a day after the decision to ban the president from leaving the country.
An investigation is underway into the president's and his aides' actions in connection with the declaration of the state of emergency.
Previously, the former defense minister, as well as the former interior minister and the military's chief of staff, had been banned from traveling.
