Ex-South Korean PM Han Sentenced To 23 Years Over Martial Law Plot

South Korea jails former PM Han for 23 years over involvement in 2024 martial law insurrection plot.

A South Korean court has sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison for charges including insurrection linked to ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled that Han, 76, played a key role in facilitating the declaration by helping create the appearance of a legitimate cabinet meeting, describing his actions as part of a “top-down insurrection.” Judges said Han also discussed plans to obstruct the functioning of major state institutions, including parliament.

In delivering the verdict, the court said Han had failed in his responsibility as prime minister, choosing to participate in actions that threatened South Korea’s democratic order and risked returning the country to authoritarian rule. He was found guilty of engaging in key acts of insurrection, as well as perjury and forging an official document.

Han said he would accept the ruling, though his legal team confirmed an appeal would be filed with the Supreme Court. He was taken into custody immediately after the judgment. The sentence exceeded the 15-year term sought by prosecutors, an unusual move in South Korean judicial proceedings.

The ruling marks the first conviction of a former cabinet minister directly tied to the martial law case and is seen as a test case for other ongoing trials. Han had previously denied most charges, admitting only to perjury, and said he never supported the declaration of martial law despite failing to stop it.

Han, a veteran technocrat who served under five presidents, briefly became acting president after Yoon was impeached, before facing impeachment himself. Although the Constitutional Court later restored his position, Han resigned to run in a snap presidential election, a bid he later abandoned.

Former President Yoon, who is facing multiple trials, was sentenced last week to five years in prison on related charges and has appealed. He is due to face a further ruling next month on the most serious accusation of masterminding an insurrection, a case in which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.