South Korean ex-PM Han gets 23 years jail for martial law role
Seoul, South Korea - A South Korean court sentenced former prime minister Han Duck‑soo to 23 years in prison on Wednesday for aiding and abetting a declaration of martial law that briefly suspended civilian rule.
The defendant "disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister until the very end", said Judge Lee Jin-gwan, of the Seoul Central District Court.
"We sentence the defendant to 23 years in prison."
The sentence is eight years longer than prosecutors' demand.
The 76-year-old career technocrat was ordered to report to prison immediately after the ruling.
Judge Lee said the martial law decree -- declared by Han's boss Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2024 -- was intended with the "aim of subverting the constitutional order" and amounted to insurrection.
Yoon's stunning imposition of martial law saw armed troops deployed to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission before it was vetoed by the opposition‑led parliament.
In the aftermath, Yoon was impeached and removed by the Constitutional Court in April, triggering a by‑election two months later.
Han is one of many former officials -- including Yoon -- who have stood trial over their roles in the martial law attempt.
"The defendant is deemed to have played a significant role in the insurrectionary acts of Yoon and others by ensuring, at least formally, compliance with the procedural requirement," Judge Lee said in a televised sentencing.
Lee pointed out that while Han "voiced concerns to Yoon" over the move, he failed to "explicitly oppose it" or urge other cabinet members to dissuade Yoon from it.
During the course of the trial, Han denied wrongdoing, insisting he had never supported or helped the martial law declaration.
After Yoon was removed from office in April, Han assumed his post as acting president and was at one point seen as a strong conservative contender in the snap election.
He resigned from the role in May to pursue a presidential bid, which soon collapsed when Yoon's party refused to nominate him as its standard‑bearer.