Han Duck-soo, special counsel appeal 23-year prison sentence in insurrection case
Published: 26 Jan. 2026, 17:50
![Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attends a sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 21 on charges of aiding an insurrection and carrying out key tasks in the plot. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/26/78824122-fedc-46c6-8d0b-762b0c7af959.jpg)
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo attends a sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Jan. 21 on charges of aiding an insurrection and carrying out key tasks in the plot. [NEWS1]
Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the special counsel team on Monday both appealed a court ruling sentencing him to 23 years in prison for playing a key role in an insurrection during former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law.
Last Wednesday, the Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence, making Han the first member of Yoon's Cabinet to be convicted in connection with the former president's declaration on Dec. 3, 2024.
Han's legal team submitted the appeal earlier Monday, while special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team also invoked its right under Korean law allowing the prosecution to appeal in an effort to challenge "not guilty" verdicts on some charges in the ruling, including allegations that the former prime minister delayed a Cabinet meeting convened to lift the decree.
In last week's verdict, the court ruled for the first time that Yoon's declaration of martial law constituted an insurrection, saying it amounted to a "self-coup."
The punishment was heavier than the 15 years sought by the special counsel team, with Han taken into custody immediately after the ruling due to concerns of evidence destruction.
The court said the former prime minister took part in the insurrection by proposing that Yoon convene a Cabinet meeting before declaring the decree.
It also found Han guilty of signing a revised proclamation after the decree was lifted in a bid to enhance its legitimacy, discarding it and lying under oath at the Constitutional Court.
A Seoul High Court trial division dedicated to handling cases connected to Yoon's martial law bid is expected to handle Han's appeal. The special division is scheduled to launch on Feb. 23.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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