Court to broadcast former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's appellate trial over martial law involvement

A court said Monday it will broadcast live the appellate trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo set for later this week over allegedly playing a key role in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law.

The Seoul High Court decided to allow a live broadcast of the ruling at 10 a.m. Thursday, in line with precedents permitting such coverage in high-profile cases of public interest.

The former prime minister was indicted without physical detention in August last year for playing a key role in an insurrection by abetting former President Yoon.

Han was sentenced to 23 years in prison in January, marking the first ruling confirming that the declaration of martial law on Dec. 3, 2024, and the ensuing actions constituted an insurrection. He was immediately arrested in court following the ruling.

At the time, the court also found Han guilty of signing a revised martial law proclamation after the decree was lifted, in a bid to enhance its legitimacy, and of discarding the document and lying under oath at the Constitutional Court.

In the final hearing of the appeals trial last month, a special counsel team led by Cho Eun-suk demanded that the court uphold Han's 23-year sentence.

Han has denied the charges against him, saying he dissuaded Yoon from declaring martial law at the time, and has denied any involvement in the insurrection to undermine the constitutional order.