CCTV Evidence from Martial Law Day to Be Examined at Trial on the 30th
The trial of former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, who has been indicted on charges of aiding and abetting former President Yoon Sukyeol's act of rebellion, has begun. The presiding court handling Han's case announced plans to hold hearings once a week starting from the 30th, stating its intention to "conduct the trial expeditiously."
Former Prime Minister Han Ducksoo, who is accused of aiding and abetting rebellion related to the emergency martial law on December 3rd, is attending a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant review) at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 27th. This is the first time in constitutional history that an arrest warrant has been requested for a former prime minister. 2025.08.27 Photo by Yoon Dongjoo
The 33rd Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Presiding Judge Lee Jinkwan) held the first pretrial hearing on the 16th for the case in which former Prime Minister Han is charged with aiding and abetting the leader of a rebellion, among other charges.
The pretrial hearing is a procedure to confirm the positions of the defendant and the prosecution and to establish a plan for evidence examination before the formal trial begins. As the defendant is not required to appear, Han did not attend court on this day.
The court stated, "There are provisions for expedited trials in the special prosecutor law, and there must be a reason why the National Assembly enacted a special law," adding, "The court will also proceed as quickly as possible in accordance with that."
The court plans to hold the first trial session on the 30th and to continue hearings every Monday thereafter. It also mentioned that additional dates may be scheduled if a courtroom becomes available.
During the first trial, evidence will be examined regarding the CCTV footage from the presidential office on the day of the December 3rd emergency martial law. The footage reportedly shows former Prime Minister Han collecting documents, including the martial law order and a public address draft, from the cabinet meeting venue on the day martial law was declared. It is also reported that the footage captures Han counting on his fingers to check whether the quorum for the cabinet meeting was met, in coordination with former Defense Minister Kim Yonghyun.
However, since the location where the CCTV footage was recorded is designated as a military security zone, the evidence examination will be conducted in a closed session.
Special prosecutor Cho Eunseok's team indicted former Prime Minister Han without detention on July 29 on charges including aiding and abetting the leader of a rebellion, perjury, falsification of official documents, damage to official records, violation of the Presidential Records Management Act, and use of false official documents.
The special prosecutor's team believes that, as the Prime Minister-who is the "first state institution" and the vice-chair of the cabinet-Han failed to prevent and instead abetted former President Yoon Sukyeol's illegal declaration of emergency martial law last year.
Han is also accused of recommending the convening of a cabinet meeting before the declaration of martial law to give the appearance of procedural legality, and of drafting and discarding a revised martial law proclamation after the initial version was found to have legal flaws. The indictment also includes charges of perjury for testifying before the Constitutional Court that he was unaware of the martial law proclamation.
Previously, on July 27, the special prosecutor's team requested an arrest warrant for Han, but the court rejected it, stating, "There is room for dispute regarding the legal assessment of key facts and the defendant's series of actions." The special prosecutor's team subsequently determined that a reapplication would be meaningless and indicted Han without detention just two days after the warrant was denied, without further investigation.
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