Han Deok-soo, sentenced to 15 years in prison for his involvement in the December 3 martial law declaration and related coup duties, has filed an appeal against the ruling.
According to legal sources on May 11, Han's legal team submitted the appeal to the Seoul High Court's Criminal Division 12-1, which presided over his case.
On May 7, the appellate court sentenced Han to 15 years, reducing his initial 23-year sentence by eight years; however, it maintained guilty verdicts on most of the key charges.
The court determined that Han had suggested holding a cabinet meeting to create the appearance of proper procedure during the martial law declaration and led the signing of related documents afterward, which constituted significant involvement in the coup.
Additionally, the court found him guilty of concealing legal flaws by signing and then discarding the declaration document, as well as perjury for claiming during the Constitutional Court impeachment trial that he had not seen the martial law declaration.
Following the appellate ruling, Han's legal team stated that they found the verdict "unacceptable in terms of factual and legal aspects" and indicated they would consider appealing.
As a result, the Supreme Court is expected to engage in a rigorous legal debate over whether Han's actions during the martial law period constituted essential participation in the coup or merely complicity.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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