An South Korean appeals court has reduced the prison sentence of Ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was convicted of rebellion for his role in then President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ill-fated imposition of martial law in December 2024.
Han Duck-soo, a Yoon appointee, was sentenced to 23 years by a Seoul court in January. Yoon was sentenced to life in prison for rebellion the next month.
However, today, Thursday, May 7, 2026, the Seoul High Court upheld most of Han’s convictions, but reduced his sentence to 15 years.
It 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.
The Seoul High Court said that Han’s “criminal liabilities are very grave” because he “abandoned his immense responsibilities” as the Prime Minister in the Yoon administration and participated in the rebellion.
Nonetheless, the court lessened the penalties after taking into account his “more than 50 years as a public official prior to the martial law declaration.”“The records also make it difficult to find evidence showing that the defendant participated more actively in the insurrection, such as by conspiring in advance or systematically leading the operation,” the judge said.
Han had denied wrongdoing on all charges except perjury, saying in November that while he regretted not being able to stop Yoon from declaring martial law, he “never agreed to it or tried to help.”
The special prosecutor requested a 15-year sentence for Han during his trial at the Seoul Central District Court.
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.
Han became the acting President after Yoon was impeached, before his own impeachment on accusations of having aided Yoon in the martial law declaration. The Constitutional Court overturned Han’s impeachment, restoring his powers to serve as leader before he resigned from the post to run in a snap election in June. He ended his bid for the presidency following rifts among conservatives.
Yoon’s decree in December 2024 briefly suspended civilian government and plunged South Korea into chaos, but it only lasted about six hours as opposition lawmakers moved quickly to overturn it in a vote.
Yoon, who faces eight separate trials, was handed a life sentence in February on charges of “masterminding an insurrection.” Yoon, a former career prosecutor, denied the charges, arguing he had presidential authority to declare martial law and that his action was aimed at sounding the alarm over opposition parties’ obstruction of government.
He has apologised for the “frustration and hardship” brought upon the people by his martial law decree, but said in a statement after the sentencing that he stood behind the “sincerity and purpose” behind his actions.
Seven Days To Appeal Ruling
Han and the prosecutor have seven days to appeal today’s ruling to the Supreme Court, the country’s top court.
Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said that both the district and appeals courts viewed Han’s charges as very grave.
Park said that the Seoul High Court still likely determined that a 15-year term is appropriate for Han, given rulings on others involved in Yoon’s martial law such as his Interior Minister Lee Sang-min who got seven years in prison.
Park also said that the 23 years the court handed down was higher than expected but still within the normal range for Han’s crimes.
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