▲ Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo
Prosecutors have demanded a five-year prison sentence for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is on trial over allegations surrounding the failure to appoint and the nomination of Constitutional Court justices.
During the sentencing hearing presided over by Judge Lee Jin-kwan of the 33rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court on August 28, the special counsel team led by Special Prosecutor Cho Eun-seok requested the court to sentence the former prime minister to five years in prison.
The special counsel also demanded four-year prison terms each for former presidential Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk and former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Kim Joo-hyun, as well as a three-year prison term for former presidential secretary for public discipline Lee Won-mo, who were indicted along with Han.
The special counsel team pointed out, "Former Prime Minister Han brought the state to a halt by failing to appoint Constitutional Court justices and subsequently attempted to block the people's choice by abusing his nomination power."
Specifically, they stated, "As the top public official responsible for state affairs and serving as acting president, the defendant refused to appoint Constitutional Court justices under the pretext that there was no agreement between the ruling and opposition parties, without any legal basis, in order to thwart the Constitutional Court's decision to uphold the impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol."
They further rebuked, "In an unprecedented situation where the presidential duties were suspended, as someone who knew better than anyone else how crucial the normal operation of state agencies was, he did not fail to act out of ignorance, but rather did so knowingly."
The special counsel team also noted, "After Yoon Suk Yeol was dismissed, Han Duck-soo, Chung Jin-suk, Kim Joo-hyun, and Lee Won-mo decided to nominate Yoon's closest aides as Constitutional Court justices allocated to the president's quota," adding, "They had neither the time nor the intention to vet the candidates."
Regarding the sentencing for former Prime Minister Han, the special counsel rebuked, "As the highest-ranking bureaucrat in the South Korean executive branch who served for 55 years as the commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office, minister for trade, and prime minister, the honors he enjoyed for over half a century were rooted in the trust placed in him by the public. If the person who received the most trust and authority from the Constitution and the people used that authority to undermine the constitutional order, he must bear the heaviest responsibility commensurate with it."
During the afternoon trial session, closing arguments and final statements by the defendants, including former Prime Minister Han, are scheduled to follow, after which the court will announce the sentencing date.
Former Prime Minister Han faces charges of dereliction of duty for failing to appoint Constitutional Court candidates recommended by the National Assembly while serving as acting president following the impeachment motion against former President Yoon Suk Yeol in December 2024.
He is also accused of abuse of authority hindering the exercise of rights for nominating Ham Sang-hoon and Lee Wan-kyu as Constitutional Court candidates in April of last year without proper personnel verification procedures.
Former presidential Chief of Staff Chung, former senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Kim, and former presidential secretary for public discipline Lee were also indicted on charges of complicity in these decision-making processes.
Former Prime Minister Han was also indicted on charges of engaging in important missions of an insurrection, including proposing the convening of a Cabinet meeting to create the appearance that former President Yoon's proclamation of emergency martial law on December 3, 2024, had gone through Cabinet deliberation. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison in the second trial and is currently awaiting a Supreme Court ruling.
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.