South Korea Bans Travel for Two Former Acting Presidents Amid Martial Law Probe
South Korean authorities have imposed travel bans on two former acting presidents as part of a widening investigation into ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol’s controversial attempt to impose martial law late last year, according to reports by the Yonhap News Agency.
The bans, which took effect in mid-May, apply to former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, both of whom served as acting heads of government during Yoon’s administration.
The National Police Agency confirmed the pair are being investigated as suspects in an ongoing insurrection probe, linked to the December 3 deployment of military forces to the National Assembly in an apparent bid to derail civilian rule.
“They are being treated as suspects, not just witnesses, in a case that may have profound implications for the country’s democratic institutions,” a police official told local media under condition of anonymity.
The investigation stems from the events surrounding Yoon’s attempted declaration of martial law, which saw armed troops dispatched to the legislature — a move swiftly condemned as unconstitutional and authoritarian. Parliament responded by impeaching Yoon, and the country’s top court confirmed his removal from office in April.
Yoon now faces trial on charges of insurrection, one of the most serious criminal offenses under South Korean law. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment or even the death penalty — a sentence not handed down to a South Korean leader in decades.
If found guilty, Yoon would become only the third South Korean president convicted of insurrection, following Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo, both former military generals implicated in the 1979 coup that marked the nation’s last major rupture with democratic governance.
The travel bans come just days ahead of South Korea’s presidential election, scheduled for next week. The vote will bring an end to a turbulent chapter in the nation’s politics, triggered by Yoon’s December declaration and the subsequent backlash that has paralyzed parts of the government.
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, one of those now barred from international travel, had been floated as a potential candidate to replace Yoon. But his prospects appear to have dimmed significantly amid the deepening probe.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has also been caught in disarray, recently facing criticism for attempting to override the candidacy of former Labour Minister Kim Moon-soo in favor of Han. The internal squabble further weakened the party’s standing in the lead-up to the vote.
As the trial unfolds and new evidence surfaces, South Koreans are grappling with the fragility of their democratic institutions, and the lessons of a history many had hoped was long behind them.
