Han’s sentence will guide further rulings related to Yoon’s martial law imposition, they say. Yoon, who has been charged as the “ringleader”, will find out his fate on February 19.

The 76-year-old Han was sentenced to 23 years in prison on Wednesday by the Seoul Central District Court after being found guilty of his role in the December 2024 martial law decree, perjury and other offences.

It is the first court ruling to officially define the decree as an act of insurrection, rejecting Yoon’s long-standing claim that it was intended to alert the public to the “tyranny” of the opposition-controlled National Assembly.

Han’s sentence was eight years longer than the 15 years sought by a team of special prosecutors – a rare outcome in South Korea, where courts more commonly hand down sentences lighter than those requested by the prosecution.