Former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo yesterday was sentenced to 23 years in prison for aiding and abetting a declaration of martial law that briefly suspended civilian rule.
The defendant “disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister until the very end,” said Judge Lee Jin-gwan of the Seoul Central District Court. “We sentence the defendant to 23 years in prison.”
The sentence is eight years longer than prosecutors demanded.
Photo: EPA
The 76-year-old was ordered to report to prison immediately after the ruling.
Lee said the martial law decree by then-South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol in December 2024 was intended with the “aim of subverting the constitutional order” and amounted to insurrection.
Yoon’s imposition of martial law saw armed troops deployed to the South Korean National Assembly and the National Election Commission before it was vetoed by the opposition-led National Assembly.
In the aftermath, Yoon was impeached and removed from office by the South Korean Constitutional Court in April last year, triggering an election two months later.
Han is one of many former officials — including Yoon — who have stood trial over their roles in the martial law attempt.
“The defendant is deemed to have played a significant role in the insurrectionary acts of Yoon and others by ensuring, at least formally, compliance with the procedural requirement,” Lee said in a televised sentencing.
Lee said that while Han “voiced concerns to Yoon” over the move, he failed to “explicitly oppose it” or urge other Cabinet members to dissuade Yoon from it.
During the course of the trial, Han denied wrongdoing, saying that he had never supported or helped the martial law declaration.
After Yoon was removed from office, Han assumed his post as acting president and was at one point seen as a contender in the snap election.
He resigned from the role in May to pursue a presidential bid, which soon collapsed when Yoon’s party refused to nominate him.
The court said that martial law had been invoked as a “top-down insurrection” and the incident could be understood as a “palace coup.”
Despite the unconstitutional elements of the then-president’s move, not only did Han choose not to oppose it, but he decided to partake in it, the judge said.
“The defendant ... bore a duty as prime minister to comply with the constitution and laws, and to make every effort to uphold and realize the constitution,” he said. “Nevertheless, believing that the Dec. 3 [2024] insurrection might succeed, he ultimately turned his back on these duties and responsibilities and chose to take part in it.”
Han was also convicted of perjury.
The verdict comes after Yoon was sentenced to five years in prison for obstructing justice and other crimes linked to his martial law move. He is also facing a verdict over his central role as the ringleader of the insurrection in the decree for which prosecutors are calling for the death penalty.
The Seoul Central District Court — presided over by a different judge from Han’s trial — is scheduled to deliver its ruling on Feb. 19.
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