South Korea has initiated a high-profile criminal trial for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who stands accused of aiding former President Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated 2024 declaration of martial law—an action prosecutors characterize as an act of insurrection.
Special prosecutors have filed charges against Han including abetting insurrection, falsifying and destroying official documents, perjury, and violating the Act on the Management of Presidential Archives.
According to investigators, Han convened a Cabinet meeting to give procedural legitimacy to the martial law order, then later manipulated related documents before destroying them to conceal wrongdoing.
The Seoul Central District Court has rejected the prosecution’s request for pretrial detention, allowing Han to stand trial without being held in custody.
The court cited legal ambiguity regarding the charges as grounds for its decision.
These legal actions come amid a sweeping investigation into former President Yoon’s administration and its failed attempt to consolidate power through martial law.
Alongside Han, former First Lady Kim Keon-hee faces charges of bribery, stock manipulation, and violations of financial and political funding laws.