South Korea bans drones around top court ahead of Yoon impeachment ruling

Seoul: South Korea's air traffic authorities will ban drones from flying around the Constitutional Court in Seoul from Thursday ahead of the ruling on the impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The measure will take effect from Thursday to Wednesday next week, according to a notice to airmen issued on the transport ministry's aeronautical information system on Wednesday.

The court is widely expected to rule on Yoon's impeachment in the coming days though it has yet to announce the date.

Police earlier announced in a statement it had asked the ministry to set up a temporary ban on drones around the court and adjacent areas spanning 1.85 km (1.1 miles) until the end of this month.

Police are expected to be out in force and subway stations and nearby schools are set to be closed on the day of the ruling that will decide Yoon's political future over his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.

On Sunday, a day after Yoon returned home, thousands of Yoon supporters gathered around the residence to protest the impeachment, surrounded by beefed-up police security.