Former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the wife of ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol, Kim Keon-hee, were both indicted on separate charges, marking a significant day in South Korea’s political landscape. The charges against Han, who is 76 years old, include aiding and abetting ex-President Yoon’s imposition of martial law, alongside additional allegations of perjury and document falsification. These developments follow weeks of investigation by a team of special prosecutors.
Meanwhile, Kim faces charges related to her alleged involvement in a stock manipulation scheme and the acceptance of gifts from the controversial Unification Church. Her legal representatives have denied these allegations, labeling some reports as groundless speculation.
According to legal insights, Han, as the highest-ranking official at the time, was in a position to potentially thwart Yoon’s martial law plans. Park Ji-young, an assistant special counsel, stated that despite Han’s opposition to the martial law plan, he still played an active role in trying to make Yoon’s declaration procedurally legitimate by pushing for its passage through a Cabinet Council meeting.
Both Yoon and Kim have been arrested and are currently in custody. Yoon stands trial for charges including insurrection for his attempted imposition of military rule. His presidency, marked by numerous high-profile scandals involving his wife, significantly harmed his conservative People Power Party (PPP).
Yoon faced formal impeachment in April. Former Prime Minister Han had twice acted as the country’s interim leader during the turmoil following the martial law imposition but stepped down to run in South Korea’s presidential election. Despite failing to secure the PPP’s candidacy, the liberal Democratic Party’s Lee Jae-myung eventually won the election, famously capturing a dramatic moment by scaling the walls of the National Assembly to vote against the martial law.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/29/south-korea-indicts-former-first-lady-for-bribery-ex-pm-over-martial-law?traffic_source=rss
