Former South Korean PM Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison over Military Emergency

Former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo/DOK via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - Former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for playing a key role in a rebellion related to the imposition of a short-lived military emergency by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Reported by ANTARA from Yonhap, the Seoul Central District Court stated that the declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024 and subsequent actions were legally a form of rebellion.

The verdict was heavier than the demands of special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk who asked for a 15-year prison sentence for the charge of aiding the leader of the rebellion, playing a key role, and giving false testimony.

Presiding Judge Lee Jin-gwan ordered Han to be immediately detained, citing concerns that the defendant could destroy evidence.

The court said Han took part in the rebellion by proposing that Yoon hold a cabinet meeting before issuing a military emergency decree.

Han did not express his rejection in the cabinet meeting and was considered to have encouraged the then-Minister of the Interior to follow up on Yoon's order to cut off electricity and water to critical media.

The judge said Han had a constitutional obligation as prime minister to obtain democratic legitimacy to maintain and enforce the Basic Law.

"However, the defendant ignored that obligation until the end, thinking that the December 3 uprising could succeed," Lee said in the live broadcast hearing on Wednesday, January 21.

Han became the first member of Yoon's cabinet to be sentenced in relation to the military emergency decree, which was revoked six hours later after a parliamentary vote.

The court also found Han guilty of signing a revised proclamation after the revocation of the decree, discarding it, and lying under oath in the Constitutional Court.

Han denied all charges and said he did not know of the military's previous emergency plans and never approved or helped implement them.

This ruling is expected to have an impact on the Yoon case, who is accused of leading the rebellion through the establishment of the military emergency.

Yoon's trial ended last week, with prosecutors seeking the death penalty, and a verdict is scheduled to be announced on February 19.

The South Korean constitution defines rebellion as an attempt to negate state authority or riots to overthrow the constitutional order.

Judge Lee called Yoon's actions a form of "self-coup".

He said the absence of casualties was due to the courage of the residents who confronted the military emergency forces without weapons in order to defend the parliament.

Han became the first former prime minister to be arrested directly in the courtroom.

Not all defendants were immediately detained at the first instance because the verdict can still be appealed to the Supreme Court.

When asked for his comments before the detention was decided, Han replied, "I will humbly follow the court's decision."