A South Korean court has sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison after finding him guilty on insurrection charges related to disgraced ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law.
Han was found guilty on Wednesday of abetting Yoon’s brief imposition of martial law and for failing to hold a lawful cabinet meeting, as required by South Korean law, after the decree to mobilise the military was ordered by the then-president in December 2024.
Han”disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister until the very end”, said Judge Lee Jin-gwan, of the Seoul Central District Court.
“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 said.
The court ordered Han to be detained after sentencing, citing concerns about the possible destruction of evidence.
Han, 76, is the first member of Yoon’s cabinet to be found guilty and sentenced to jail in relation to the martial law declaration.
The former prime minister denied the charges against him, saying he had no prior knowledge of Yoon’s plan to impose military rule.
Last week, a court sentenced Yoon to five years in jail after finding him guilty on charges linked to the imposition of martial law, including obstructing the work of authorities, fabricating official documents and failing to comply with legal processes.
Separately, Yoon also faces more serious charges of leading an insurrection through the martial law decree. A special prosecutor has demanded the death penalty for Yoon, with a verdict in the case expected next month.
Al Jazeera’s Jack Barton, reporting from Seoul, said Wednesday’s verdict was crucial as Han was the first official to face a verdict on charges directly related to the martial law decree, and the court’s ruling will likely have a bearing on Yoon’s forthcoming verdict for insurrection.
“This is the first verdict and 23 years he has received. That is higher than the 15 [years] the prosecution was asking for,” Barton said.
“It certainly doesn’t bode well for former President Yoon when his final verdict comes up – it is expected on February 19,” he said.