Former Prime Minister Han Tok-su was sentenced to 23 years by a court in Seoul for aiding the declaration of martial law by President Jun Sok-yol in December 2024. The verdict described his actions as rebellion.
A South Korean court on Wednesday found former Prime Minister Han Tok-soo guilty of aiding former President Jun Sok-yol in declaring martial law in December 2024. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison, writes TASR based on reports from Reuters and Jonhap.
- Former Prime Minister Han Tok-su was found guilty.
- He received 23 years in prison for aiding ex-president Jun.
- The court called the declaration of martial law an act of rebellion.
- June’s martial law led to military intervention in parliament.
- Han’s political career was over, he was not nominated for president.
According to a Seoul District Court judge, the former South Korean prime minister “neglected his duties and responsibilities as prime minister until the very end.” According to the Jonhap agency, the court confirmed with the first judgment in the case of the declaration of martial law in December 2024 that this act can be described as a rebellion.
Proposed penalty
South Korea’s special prosecutor’s office proposed a 15-year prison sentence for Han during the final hearing in November. In addition to assisting ex-president Juno in the declaration of martial law, he was also indicted for later perjury in court.
“Although the defendant was the only person who could have prevented a mutinous situation in this case, he neglected his duty as a servant of the entire nation and participated in the crime of mutiny through a series of acts before and after the declaration of martial law,” one of the prosecutors said at the time.
The political impact of the case
Jun’s surprise declaration of martial law on 3 December 2024 led to the deployment of troops to the National Assembly. Opposition MPs quickly overruled the presidential decree, which led to the president’s impeachment. In April, Jun was officially removed from office by the Constitutional Court, which ruled that he had violated the constitution by declaring martial law.
Han took over Jun’s post as interim president and was at one time considered a strong conservative bloc candidate for early elections. Han resigned in May to run for the presidency, but Jun’s party refused to nominate him as its candidate.
