A South Korean court on Wednesday ruled that the ill-fated imposition of martial law by then-President Yoon Suk Yeol amounted to an act of rebellion, sentencing former prime minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison for his involvement.
Han became the first official from the Yoon administration to be convicted on rebellion charges linked to the declaration of martial law in December 2024. The ruling is expected to influence forthcoming verdicts involving Yoon and other senior associates, who also face rebellion-related charges.
According to a report by Associated Press (AP), Han had served as one of three caretaker leaders during the political crisis that followed the martial law decree, which ultimately led to Yoon’s impeachment and removal from office. Rebellion is among the most serious criminal offences in South Korea, with the independent counsel recently seeking the death penalty for Yoon, who is accused of masterminding the rebellion. The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to rule on Yoon’s rebellion case on February 19.
In a televised verdict, the court found that Yoon’s decision to deploy troops and police to the National Assembly and election offices constituted “a riot” or “a self-coup” intended to undermine the constitutional order.
The judges said the actions were severe enough to threaten national stability. Han was convicted for playing a central role in attempting to lend procedural legitimacy to the decree by pushing it through a Cabinet Council meeting, as well as for falsifying and destroying the proclamation and lying under oath, as reported by AP.
Han, 76, who may appeal the ruling, has consistently maintained that he opposed Yoon’s plan to impose martial law and has denied most of the charges. However, the court said he failed in his constitutional duty as prime minister.
“Because of the defendant’s action, the Republic of Korea could have returned to a dark past when the basic rights of the people and the liberal democratic order were trampled upon, becoming trapped in the quagmire of dictatorships for an extended period,” presiding judge Lee Jin-gwan said, as quoted by AP.
Han’s lengthy sentence exceeded expectations, as prosecutors had earlier sought a 15-year term. A career bureaucrat with four decades of public service, Han served twice as prime minister, first under liberal President Roh Moo-hyun from 2007 to 2008, and later under Yoon, AP has quoted.
He assumed the role of acting president after Yoon was impeached by the opposition-controlled National Assembly in late December 2024, but was himself impeached soon after amid disputes over his refusal to appoint judges to the Constitutional Court.
The Constitutional Court later reinstated Han, but following Yoon’s formal dismissal from office in early April, Han resigned to contest the snap presidential election held in June. He later withdrew after failing to secure his party’s nomination. The election was ultimately won by Lee Jae Myung, a former leader of the liberal Democratic Party.
Yoon, who has already spent months in detention, faces eight criminal trials, including his rebellion case. Last week, he was sentenced to five years in prison for defying detention attempts, fabricating the martial law proclamation and denying Cabinet members their right to deliberate on the decree. He has denied all rebellion charges, insisting he sought only to rally public support against what he described as obstruction by the Democratic Party. At a recent court hearing, Yoon described the investigations as “frenzied,” alleging “manipulation” and “distortion,” according to AP.
In his declaration, Yoon branded the opposition-led assembly “a den of criminals” and pledged to eliminate “shameless North Korea followers and anti-state forces.” While troops and police were dispatched, many did not aggressively intervene as thousands gathered to protest, allowing lawmakers to convene and vote down the decree, AP has reported.
Although no major violence occurred, the brief imposition of martial law evoked memories of past dictatorships and triggered political turmoil that damaged South Korea’s international standing and unsettled financial markets.
Alongside Han, several former defence, safety and justice ministers, as well as senior intelligence, police and military officials, have been indicted on rebellion and related charges stemming from the martial law episode.