Ex-South Korean PM Han Duck-Soo Gets 23 Years In Prison For 2024 Martial Law: 'Act Of Rebellion,' Says Court

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The former prime minister of South Korea, Han Duck-soo, has become the first official from former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration to be awarded the jail sentence for his involvement in the imposition of martial law in 2024. Han Duck-soo has been given 23 years in prison by a South Korean court. The court, while announcing the verdict against Han Duck-soo, ruled that imposition of martial law constituted an act of rebellion.

The verdict is expected to set the stage for upcoming rulings involving Yoon Suk Yeol and his other associates, who also face rebellion charges – one of the most seriopus charges in the country. Yoon Suk Yeol has so far been charged with masterminding the rebellion.

Yoon Suk Yeol's sentencing will be decided on February 19 by the Seoul Central District Court. The court had also observed that the imposing the martial law by dispatching the troops and police to Parliament was meant to undermine the Constitutional order, disrupting stability.

Why was Han Duck-soo sentenced?

Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 23 years in prison for his involvement in the 2024 martial law. The court said Han Duck-soo tried to give procedural legitimacy to Yoon's martial law decree by getting it passed through a Cabinet Council meeting.

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The court also convicted Han of falsifying the martial law proclamation and destroying it and lying under oath. The court said Han neglected his responsibilities to protect the constitution, choosing instead to take part in Yoon's rebellion in the belief that it might succeed.

“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,” judge Lee Jin-gwan was quoted as saying by AP.

Han Duck-soo has rejected the charges. He categorically told the investigation that he opposed the imposition of the martial law.

After the court's ruling, Han was immediately sent to prison. Unlike Yoon, he had not been detained before sentencing.

Charges Yoon faces

Yoon Suk Yeol has laready spent months in jail. He faces eight criminal trials including his rebellion case over the martial law decree and other allegations. Last Friday, Yoon received a five-year prison term at the Seoul court for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation and denying some Cabinet members their rights to deliberate on his martial law decree.

Yoon, a conservative, has steadfastly denied the charges of rebellion, saying he only aimed to draw public support of his fight against the main liberal opposition party which obstructed his agenda. Speaking at Friday's court session, Yoon denounced authorities for their rebellion investigations as“frenzied," arguing that they involved“manipulation” and“distortion.”

(With AP inputs)

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