Police question impeached Prime Minister Han as suspect on insurrection charges
Published: 05 Feb. 2025, 14:14
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- LEE SOO-JUNG
- [email protected]
![Impeached Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a parliamentary questioning session at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Jan. 15. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/02/05/8e180532-ba94-4852-b5f9-07cf923867af.jpg)
Impeached Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a parliamentary questioning session at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Jan. 15. [NEWS1]
Han has been accused of involvement in President Yoon Suk Yeol’s botched imposition of martial law on Dec. 3 of last year.
Han's questioning lasted for over nine hours and ended late at night. It was the second time police had questioned the impeached prime minister.
In the latest questioning, police asked if Han had received any notes or documents from either Yoon or ex-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun regarding how to handle the post-martial law situation, according to local newspaper Hankook Ilbo.
The police also reportedly asked for details about a Cabinet meeting that was convened before Yoon’s martial law announcement.
Han continued to insist that Yoon’s martial law declaration did not follow legitimate procedures as no proper Cabinet review was conducted. He also said he never advised Yoon to impose martial law and denied Kim’s claim that he briefed Han before the declaration.
In a previous police questioning last year, Han reportedly said he couldn't say whether the Cabinet meeting was legitimate, according to the JoongAng Ilbo. His remarks could be interpreted that the meeting was more of a formality.
Han also told a parliamentary hearing on Jan. 15 that it was "extremely difficult to remember" all the details before and after the martial law declaration due to the "shocking situation."
Han, who was acting president after Yoon’s impeachment in mid-December, was also impeached on Dec. 27 of last year and has been suspended from his duties ever since.
BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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