Seoul, Jan. 22 -- A South Korean court sentenced the country's former prime minister Han Duck-soo for abetting then-President Yoon Suk Yeol's brief imposition of martial law in December 2024, state media has reported.

The ruling was delivered on January 21 by the Seoul Central District Court in a nationally televised verdict, Yonhap reported, adding that the presiding judge ordered Han to be placed in custody, citing concerns he could destroy evidence.

Presiding Judge Lee Jin-kwan defined Yoon's imposition of martial law as an act of insurrection that "could have pushed South Korea back into dictatorship" and convicted Han of "playing a key role in an insurrection."

"The defendant had a duty as a prime minister, indirectly given democr...