A Seoul court has sentenced former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison for his involvement in the failed attempt to impose martial law in December 2024.
The sentence exceeds the prosecution’s request, which had called for 15 years in prison.
The judge, Lee Jin-gwan, said Han had “failed in his duties and responsibilities as Prime Minister until the very end.”
Han, who appeared in court as a free man, was ordered to report immediately to prison to begin his sentence.
Han Duck-soo, aged 76, served as Prime Minister under conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol during the controversial events of 3 December 2024. That evening, Yoon announced martial law unexpectedly and deployed the military to Parliament in an attempt to suppress opposition.
The martial law decree was overturned within hours, after enough lawmakers managed to enter the military-blockaded Parliament to suspend the President’s order. Yoon, who is being tried separately for “insurrection,” faces a possible death sentence, with the court set to deliver its ruling on 19 February.
Judge Lee stated in his verdict that the martial law decree had been intended to “overthrow the constitutional order.”
