S Korea’s former PM found guilty of insurrection, given 23 years in prison

Ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo accused of failing to clasp a lawful furniture gathering pursuing martial instrumentality declaration.

A South Korean tribunal has sentenced erstwhile Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years successful situation aft uncovering him blameworthy connected insurrection charges related to disgraced ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol’s short-lived declaration of martial law.

Han was recovered blameworthy connected Wednesday of abetting Yoon’s little imposition of martial instrumentality and for failing to clasp a lawful furniture meeting, arsenic required by South Korean law, aft the decree to mobilise the subject was ordered by the then-president successful December 2024.

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Han”disregarded his work and work arsenic premier curate until the precise end”, said Judge Lee Jin-gwan, of the Seoul Central District Court.

“As a effect of the defendant’s actions, South Korea was successful information ​of returning to the acheronian past ‌when the basal rights and wide antiauthoritarian bid of the radical were violated, perchance preventing them from escaping from the quagmire of dictatorship for a agelong time,” the justice said.

The tribunal ordered Han to beryllium detained aft sentencing, citing concerns astir the imaginable demolition of evidence.

Han, 76, is the archetypal subordinate of Yoon’s furniture to beryllium recovered blameworthy and sentenced to jailhouse successful narration to the martial instrumentality declaration.

The erstwhile premier curate denied the charges against him, saying helium had nary anterior cognition of Yoon’s program to enforce subject rule.

Last week, a tribunal sentenced Yoon to 5 years successful jailhouse aft uncovering him blameworthy connected charges linked to the imposition of martial law, including obstructing the enactment of authorities, fabricating authoritative documents and failing to comply with ineligible processes.

Separately, Yoon besides faces much superior charges of starring an insurrection done the martial instrumentality decree. A peculiar authoritative has demanded the decease punishment for Yoon, with a verdict successful the lawsuit expected adjacent month.

Al Jazeera’s Jack Barton, reporting from Seoul, said Wednesday’s verdict was important arsenic Han was the archetypal authoritative to look a verdict connected charges straight related to the martial instrumentality decree, and the court’s ruling volition apt person a bearing connected Yoon’s forthcoming verdict for insurrection.

“This is the archetypal verdict and 23 years helium has received. That is higher than the 15 [years] the prosecution was asking for,” Barton said.

“It surely doesn’t bode good for erstwhile President Yoon erstwhile his last verdict comes up – it is expected connected February 19,” helium said.