[Breaking] Appeals court cuts ex-PM’s sentence to 15 years, affirms ins...

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Appeals court cuts ex-PM’s sentence to 15 years, affirms insurrection role

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By

Jung Min-ho

Published

May 7, 2026 12:03 pm

KST

Updated

May 7, 2026 12:06 pm

KST

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a hearing held at the Seoul Central District Court, in this Nov. 26, 2025, file photo. An appeals court on Thursday sentenced Han to 15 years in prison. Courtesy of Seoul Central District Court

Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Thursday after an appeals court overturned a lower court’s ruling but still found him guilty of playing a key role in an insurrection linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s imposition of martial law.

Judges at the Seoul High Court quashed the original 23-year sentence and reduced it to 15 years, while issuing a strongly worded condemnation that any act aimed at extinguishing the Constitution’s functions can “never be tolerated under any circumstances.”