South Korea awaits Han Duck-soo ruling as test case for martial law trials
The former prime minister would be the first person sentenced in connection with the decree. Prosecutors have demanded a 15-year prison term
Senior Judge Lee Jin-gwan of the Seoul Central District Court has scheduled the ruling for Han on January 21, the first verdict related to the martial law declaration.
Lim Ji-bong, a law professor at Sogang University, said the outcome would set the tone for the trials tied to the decree.
“Han’s [potential] 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.
If convicted, Han’s case would effectively define Yoon’s martial law decree as an act of insurrection, rather than a legitimate presidential measure to counter vaguely defined “anti-state forces”, as Yoon had argued.