Former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo Sentenced to 23 Years for Rebellion

The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison after finding him guilty of rebellion for abetting then-President Yoon Suk Yeol's Dec. 2024 imposition of martial law and the court ordered Han's immediate detention, the court said.

The verdict stems from the Dec. 2024 martial law decree that the court said dispatched troops and police to Parliament and election offices in what it characterized as a 'self-coup' that threatened the constitutional order, Judge Lee Jin-gwan said in a televised ruling.

The independent counsel has demanded the death penalty for former President Yoon Suk Yeol on rebellion charges and prosecutors said the ruling against Han bolsters their case, while Yoon has denied the charges and called the investigations 'frenzied' and 'manipulation' in court, according to prosecutors and court transcripts.

Han Duck-soo, 76, is the first member of Yoon's cabinet convicted on rebellion charges related to the martial law decree, and his 23-year sentence exceeded the 15 years sought by the independent counsel, with Yoon facing eight separate criminal trials, records show.

The Seoul Central District Court is scheduled to rule on former President Yoon Suk Yeol's rebellion case on Feb. 19 and Han Duck-soo can appeal the conviction as prosecutors and defense lawyers prepare for further proceedings, court records show.