A South Korean court has handed former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo a 23-year prison sentence, finding him guilty of insurrection-related charges tied to ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law.
Han was convicted on Wednesday of abetting Yoon’s December 2024 move to impose military rule and of failing to convene a lawful cabinet meeting, a key constitutional requirement before such a decree can be enacted under South Korean law.
“[Han] disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister until the very end,” Judge Lee Jin-gwan of the Seoul Central District Court said during sentencing. “As a result of the defendant’s actions, South Korea was in danger of returning to the dark past when the basic rights and liberal democratic order of the people were violated, potentially preventing them from escaping from the quagmire of dictatorship for a long time,” the judge added.
The court ordered Han’s immediate detention, citing concerns that evidence could be destroyed.
At 76, Han is the first senior member of Yoon’s cabinet to be convicted and jailed over the martial law episode. He denied all charges, insisting he had no prior knowledge of Yoon’s plan to mobilise the military.
The verdict comes just days after Yoon himself was sentenced to five years in prison for related offences, including obstructing authorities, fabricating official documents and bypassing legal procedures during the martial law attempt.
Yoon still faces a more serious insurrection charge. Special prosecutors have demanded the death penalty in that case, with a verdict expected next month.
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