An appeals court in South Korea reduces the prison sentence of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo from 23 years to 15 years in a case tied to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Multiple outlets report that the Seoul High Court overturns the lower court’s heavier sentence but continues to find Han guilty of an insurrection conviction linked to Yoon’s action.
The court rules that the martial law decree is unconstitutional and unlawful, and it says Han played an important role in helping the decree appear to have proper legitimacy. According to reporting, judges point to Han’s involvement in efforts to convene and process a Cabinet meeting and related documentation after the declaration, which the court treats as contributing to the insurrection element of the charges.
Outlet summaries also note that the court considers Han’s long record of public service when setting the revised term. One report describes the court’s condemnation of any attempt to extinguish the Constitution’s functions. The sentence is reduced after the appeal hearing, with the final term set at 15 years.
