Court Reduces Prison Sentence for Former South Korean PM in Martial Law Case

South Korea’s appellate court has reduced the prison sentence against former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo for crimes related to the martial law declaration by former President Yoon Suk Yeol. His prison term has been reduced by eight years, from the previous 23 years to 15 years in prison.

Yoon’s martial law decree in December 2024 temporarily suspended civilian government and plunged South Korea into chaos. However, the martial law lasted only about six hours because opposition lawmakers moved quickly to revoke it in a vote.

Previously, a lower court had imposed a harsher-than-expected prison sentence on Han in January, of 23 years, for his involvement in the martial law declaration.

The appellate court in Seoul, the capital of South Korea, reduced the sentence by eight years on Thursday (7/5), with the chief judge announcing: “We are imposing a 15-year prison sentence on the defendant.”

The court retained most of Han’s sentence but reduced it after considering “his more than 50 years of service as a public official before the martial law declaration.”

“The record also makes it difficult to find evidence showing that the defendant participated more actively in the rebellion, such as by conspiring in advance or systematically leading operations,” the judge said.

However, he stated that Han had “abandoned the great responsibility arising from the authority and position entrusted to him and instead sided with those participating in the rebellious acts.”

Han, wearing a white shirt and suit without a tie, listened to the judge’s verdict without showing much emotion.

The 76-year-old technocrat has been imprisoned since his initial sentence in January.