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Martial law trial for Han Duck-soo to begin Sept. 30

Published: 16 Sep. 2025, 19:05

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 27 to attend a pretrial detention hearing. [NEWS1]

The trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is accused of aiding former President Yoon Suk Yeol during the martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024, will officially begin on Sept. 30. The court has announced its intent to proceed swiftly, scheduling one hearing per week.

The Seoul Central District Court held the first preparatory hearing for Han, who faces charges including aiding a "ring leader" of a rebellion, on Tuesday afternoon. Preparatory hearings are held before the main trial to review the defendant's and both sides' positions and set plans for evidence review. The defendant is not required to attend and Han was not present in court that day.

“The defendant is in the process of hiring a new attorney to handle the trial,” Han's legal representation said. “Since we plan to hand over the case files to the new attorney and resign, it would be inappropriate to proceed with arguments today.”

Although Han’s legal team had filed a motion last Friday to postpone the hearing, the court proceeded as scheduled.

“The defendant may change attorneys, but that must not lead to delays in the trial,” said the presiding judge at the time. “Any disadvantage resulting from such delays must be borne by the defendant.”

The court also emphasized the need for a speedy trial as stipulated under the martial law special prosecutor bill.

“This case falls under a special law that contains various provisions for expedited trials,” the judge said. “The bench will also proceed accordingly.” The preparatory hearing concluded as scheduled, and the first trial session is set for 10 a.m. on Sept. 30, with additional hearings to be held every Monday.

Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo waits to deliver the government's policy speech on the first supplementary budget for 2025 at the National Assembly in western Seoul on April 24. [JOONGANG ILBO]

At the first hearing, the court will review surveillance footage from the presidential office. According to the special prosecutor’s team, the CCTV footage shows Han speaking with former Minister of National Defense Kim Yong-hyun and others before a Cabinet meeting and signaling numbers like “four” and “one” with his hands ahead of the martial law declaration.

Due to the presidential office’s status as a protected military zone, the court decided to hold that part of the trial behind closed doors, at the special counsel’s request.

The prosecution alleges that Han received the martial law proclamation ahead of the Dec. 3 incident, understood it to be unconstitutional and illegal, and still allowed it to proceed.

It also claims that Han counted the number of Cabinet members with his fingers to ensure a quorum of 11 and asked them to sign the declaration in an attempt to give the process a veneer of legality.

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 27 to attend his pretrial detention. [YONHAP]

The special prosecutor previously sought an arrest warrant for Han on Aug. 24, but the court denied it on Aug. 27, stating “there is room for legal dispute over the key facts and the suspect’s actions.” Concluding that a renewed arrest warrant would be of no practical use, the special counsel indicted Han without detention on Aug. 29 on charges including aiding the leader of an insurrection.

Han also faces charges of falsifying and destroying official documents — specifically, for allegedly drafting and discarding a second version of the martial law declaration to correct legal flaws in the original.

He is further accused of perjury for testifying during former President Yoon’s impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court that he “was unaware of the martial law proclamation.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI SEO-IN [[email protected]]