By Ju-min Park
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo went on trial on Tuesday, accused of abetting an insurrection among other criminal charges in connection with the country’s martial law crisis last December.
Han, appointed by ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol who declared martial law, also faces charges of creating false official documents and committing perjury.
During the first hearing where media was allowed to film, Han said Yoon’s imposition of martial law was unacceptable.
“During my nearly 40 years as a public servant, I’ve always believed that our country must develop through a market economy and international credibility. From that perspective, I’d say this situation was hard to accept,” Han told the court in Seoul.
Han admitted he had falsely stated that he did not receive or see any documents from the presidential office on December 3 when Yoon declared the martial law, but denied the other charges, one of his lawyers said.
A special prosecutor’s team investigating Yoon’s short-lived order that sparked a political crisis has said Han was the highest-ranking official who could have stopped the president’s “unconstitutional, illegitimate” martial law.
Yoon is also on trial, facing criminal charges of insurrection. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Han, an experienced technocrat who served in senior posts under five presidents, became acting president after Yoon was impeached.
Soon after, Han was impeached after being accused of aiding Yoon in the martial law declaration. He denied the accusation, but accepted some responsibility for the ensuing crisis by failing to dissuade Yoon from making the surprise move.
The Constitutional Court overturned Han’s impeachment, restoring his powers to serve as leader before he resigned from the post to run in a snap election in June. But he ended his bid for the presidency following rifts among conservatives.
Lee Jae Myung of the centre-left Democratic Party won the June 3 election to become president after Yoon was removed from office over the martial law incident.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Jamie Freed)
