Former PM's jail term reduced to 15 years on appeal over martial law involvement
By Hyun-Yi LeePosted : May 7, 2026, 11:20Updated : May 7, 2026, 11:20
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Jan. 21, 2026. Yonhap
SEOUL, May 7 (AJP) - Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 15 years in prison by an appellate court on Thursday for his involvement in disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law debacle in December 2024.
In a nationwide televised trial, the Seoul High Court in southern Seoul handed down the sentence, finding his guilty of aiding Yoon's Dec. 3 declaration of martial law rather than preventing it, despite his duty to check abuses of presidential power.
With Thursday's ruling, his sentence was reduced from the 23 years handed down at his first trial in January this year.