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A South Korean court on Wednesday sentenced former prime minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in prison for helping with a declaration of martial law that briefly suspended civilian rule.
Judge Lee Jin-gwan of the Seoul Central District Court said Han “disregarded his duty and responsibility as prime minister until the very end.”
“We sentence the defendant to 23 years in prison,” the judge said.
The sentence was eight years longer than what prosecutors had requested.
The court ordered the 76-year-old former official to begin serving his sentence immediately.
The judge said the martial law decree, declared in December 2024 by then-president Yoon Suk Yeol, was aimed at “subverting the constitutional order” and amounted to insurrection.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law led to soldiers being sent to the National Assembly and the National Election Commission. The move was blocked by lawmakers, who voted to overturn it.
Yoon was later impeached and removed from office by the Constitutional Court in April. A by-election was held two months later.
Han was among several senior officials charged over their roles in the failed martial law attempt. The court said Han helped give the order a legal appearance by allowing it to follow formal procedures, even though he privately raised concerns.
“The defendant is deemed to have played a significant role in the insurrectionary acts of Yoon and others by ensuring, at least formally, compliance with the procedural requirement,” Judge Lee said in a televised sentencing.
Judge Lee said while Han “voiced concerns to Yoon” over the move, he failed to “explicitly oppose it” or urge other cabinet members to dissuade Yoon from it.
During the trial, Han denied any wrongdoing, saying he never supported or assisted in the martial law declaration.
After Yoon was removed from office, Han briefly served as acting president and later ran in the snap election.
He stepped down in May, but his campaign collapsed after Yoon’s party refused to nominate him.
