South Korea’s former PM Han Duck-soo gets 23 years jail in martial law case

SEOUL: A South Korean court sentenced the country's former prime minister Han Duck-soo for abetting then-President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law in December 2024, state media has reported.

The ruling was delivered on January 21 by the Seoul Central District Court in a nationally televised verdict, Yonhap reported, adding that the presiding judge ordered Han to be placed in custody, citing concerns he could destroy evidence.

Presiding Judge Lee Jin-kwan defined Yoon's imposition of martial law as an act of insurrection that "could have pushed South Korea back into dictatorship" and convicted Han of "playing a key role in an insurrection."

"The defendant had a duty as a prime minister, indirectly given democratic legitimacy and the responsibility for it to follow the Constitution and laws and make every effort to realize and defend the Constitution," the judge said during the sentencing hearing as cited by State media.

"Even so, he neglected this duty and responsibility until the end, thinking the December 3 insurrection might succeed, and chose to take part as a member," he added.

Han, who was appointed by Yoon, served as one of the three caretaker leaders during the martial law crisis, which led to Yoon's impeachment and eventually his removal from office.

Han is the first member of Yoon's Cabinet to be sentenced over the martial law decree, which was lifted after six hours following a vote by the National Assembly, Yonhap reported. (ANI)

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