The sentencing of former South Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo in January next year will serve as a bellwether for others charged for their roles in impeached president Yoon Suk-yeol’s botched martial law decree, observers say.
On Wednesday, a special counsel team investigating the insurrection charges related to Yoon’s December 3 decree demanded a 15-year jail term for the 77-year-old veteran administrator.
Han is accused of helping “the mastermind of insurrection” and playing key roles in the failed self-coup.
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Senior Judge Lee Jin-gwan of the Seoul Central District Court has set the date for Han’s sentencing for January 21, the first ruling to be handed down in connection with the martial law declaration.
Han’s sentencing would set the tone for the trials of others implicated in the case, said Lim Ji-bong, a law professor at Sogang University.
“Han’s sentencing will be closely watched as a key indicator for the sentencing of Yoon and others accused of insurrection,” Lim told This Week in Asia.
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