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Special counsel wants 23-year sentence for Han Duck-soo in insurrection appeal

Published: 07 Apr. 2026, 20:42

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, to attend his first-trial verdict hearing on Jan. 21. [YONHAP]

A special counsel team on Tuesday sought a 23-year prison term for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo in an appeal of his insurrection case stemming from former President Yoon Suk Yeol's failed martial law bid.

In requesting the sentence at the Seoul High Court, special counsel Cho Eun-suk's team matched the 23-year term handed down by a lower court in January.

That court found Han guilty of playing a key role in an insurrection by failing to stop Yoon from declaring martial law on Dec. 3, 2024.

During the lower court's sentencing in January, the court imposed a heavier punishment than the 15 years sought by the special counsel and ordered Han taken into custody.

The court at the time said the former prime minister had taken part in the insurrection by proposing that Yoon convene a Cabinet meeting before declaring the decree.

On Tuesday, the special counsel team said Han has continued to deny the charges in the appeals trial and consistently claimed he does not remember the events in question.

They also argued that Han contributed to political turmoil and national division despite serving as acting president following Yoon's impeachment.

The team asked the court to overturn the lower court's acquittals on some charges and impose the same 23-year sentence.

Yonhap