‘Yoon Travel Ban’ Revealed by Ministry of Justice Headquarters Chief, Resigns After Minister’s Return

Bae Sang-eop, Head of Immigration and Foreigners Policy Division at the Ministry of Justice, Resigns
Absence from work follows reprimand over disclosure of travel ban on former President Yoon

Minister of Justice Park Seong-jae is attending the plenary session of the National Assembly on the 16th, where government-related questions in the fields of education, society, and culture are being conducted, responding to questions from Baek Hye-ryeon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea. 2025.04.16 Photo by Kim Hyun-min

Bae Sang-eop, Head of the Immigration and Foreigners Policy Division at the Ministry of Justice, has recently expressed his intention to resign and has been absent from work.

According to legal circles on the 17th, Bae expressed his intention to resign after Minister of Justice Park Seong-jae returned to duty on the 10th and has been on leave since the 14th. Prior to this, on the 11th, Minister Park reportedly reprimanded Bae during a work report meeting, questioning why the travel ban on former President Yoon was made public when travel bans on suspects had been kept confidential until then.

In December 9 of last year, the Ministry of Justice imposed a travel ban on then-President Yoon following requests from investigative agencies such as the High-ranking Officials’ Crime Investigation Unit (Hogeumgongsa). This was the first time in constitutional history that a sitting president was subjected to a travel ban. At that time, Bae attended a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee and, when asked about the travel ban on former President Yoon, stated, "The travel ban was imposed. I understand it was done about 5 to 10 minutes ago." The Ministry of Justice is reported to have extended the travel ban period on former President Yoon, which remains in effect.

A Ministry of Justice official said, "It is true that there was mention of the disclosure of the travel ban on former President Yoon during the work report," adding, "(However) the clear reason for the resignation should be confirmed through the individual concerned."

Bae graduated from Sungkyunkwan University and entered public service after passing the 43rd Administrative Examination in 2000. He is an expert in immigration and immigration administration, having served in key positions including Director of Immigration Planning at the Ministry of Justice, Director of Incheon Immigration Office, Head of the Immigration Policy Division at the Ministry of Justice, and Director of Seoul Immigration Office.