South Korea Ex-PM Han Duck-soo has sentence cut to 15 years

已複製連結

Former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has had his prison sentence reduced to 15 years in a second trial after he was convicted of rebellion for his role in then President Yoon Suk Yeol's ill-fated imposition of martial law in December 2024.

In the first trial in January, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison, after which he filed an appeal. Last month, the special prosecution team requested that the original sentence be upheld.

On Thursday, the Seoul High Court upheld charges including that Han tried to create the appearance of legitimacy for Yoon's illegal decree by getting it endorsed at a Cabinet meeting and discussing plans to cut off of water and electricity to critical media agencies. The court also affirmed convictions for falsifying the martial law proclamation, for destroying it and for lying under oath. But it overturned one count of perjury. Han's sentence was eventually reduced by eight years to 15 years.

Han, 76, is a career bureaucrat who served as prime minister twice during his 40 years of public service, first under liberal President Roh Moo-hyun from 2007 to 2008 and later under the conservative Yoon. 

Han was one of three people who served as caretaker leaders after Yoon was suspended from office over his martial law gambit.

Yoon was eventually impeached by lawmakers before the Constitutional Court permanently removed him from office in April last year. 

His liberal rival Lee Jae Myung succeeded him after winning a snap election.