A seismic judicial hammer fell in Seoul on Wednesday as ex-Prime Minister Han Duck-soo drew 23 years for abetting what courts call a rebellion via ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law decree. Harsher than the 15 years sought and Yoon’s five-year slap, it spotlights Han’s central role in the aborted December 2024 authoritarian gambit.
Televised proceedings revealed Han pushing for a cabinet huddle before Yoon’s bombshell, then acquiescing to orders targeting media utilities. Even after the National Assembly axed it in hours, Han signed a sanitized proclamation, flip-flopped publicly, and lied in constitutional testimony—acts deemed perjury and legitimacy-boosting fraud.
Judge Lee Jin-kwan’s custody order was blunt: evidence destruction loomed. ‘Prime ministers swear to shield the constitution,’ he intoned. ‘You wagered on rebellion’s win and dove in headlong.’ Han, rejecting charges, claims no forewarning of the scheme.
As Yoon cabinet’s inaugural felon here, Han’s fate ripples to Yoon’s trial—prosecutors eye death, ruling February 19. This chapter in South Korea’s story contrasts fleeting executive overreach with enduring checks: assembly veto, prosecutorial zeal, impartial verdicts.
Public outrage fueled the probe, cementing democracy’s vigilance. The sentence not only punishes but educates, fortifying against power abuses in a nation attuned to authoritarian echoes.