Former top ministers face travel bans over martial law plot

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, former Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, and former Interior Minister Lee Sang-min were summoned Sunday as suspects in the investigation into the December 3 martial law plan. Authorities also imposed travel bans on Han and Choi, adding to a previous restriction placed on Lee.

The summons follow newly uncovered evidence contradicting their earlier denials of involvement in martial law discussions. The conversations allegedly took place during a Cabinet meeting just before former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s proclamation. Surveillance footage from the presidential office reportedly suggests some officials may have tacitly approved or failed to object to the plan.

All three are suspected of receiving martial law-related documents from Yoon. Han has claimed no memory of seeing or reading the documents, saying he discovered the proclamation slip in his suit pocket only after the meeting. Choi admitted receiving a note about an emergency legislative body but said he never read it. Lee said he merely glimpsed a note about cutting electricity and water to media outlets, which he said had been placed on a distant desk. Although these accounts had long seemed implausible, investigators previously lacked concrete evidence to challenge them.

Their actions after the meeting only fueled public suspicion. Han, acting as president during Yoon’s impeachment trial, refused to appoint a Constitutional Court justice, exacerbating political turmoil. He later declared his own presidential candidacy despite public backlash. Choi abruptly resigned, citing political pressure. Lee, who had claimed he never took orders from Yoon, was later accused of directing the fire chief to implement blackouts and water cuts at news outlets.

Prosecutors are working to determine whether Yoon issued specific directives and how martial law documents were circulated among top officials. The urgency has grown since the Presidential Security Service was found to have erased encrypted communications involving Yoon, former National Intelligence Service Deputy Director Hong Jang-won, and former Seoul Police Chief Kim Bong-sik.

As more evidence comes to light, investigators face mounting pressure to uncover any efforts to conceal the truth or destroy records tied to the martial law plot.