Seoul, Aug 25 (IANS): South Korea’s Seoul Central District Court will hold a hearing on Wednesday, August 27, to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo over his alleged involvement in former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed attempt to impose martial law.
The court scheduled the 1:30 p.m. hearing after special counsel Cho Eun-suk sought Han’s arrest on charges including abetting an insurrection, falsifying and destroying official documents, and perjury, Yonhap News Agency reported.
Investigators allege Han played a role in Yoon’s controversial martial law attempt in December by proposing a Cabinet meeting before the decree’s declaration and by drafting — and later destroying — a revised version of the proclamation aimed at legitimizing it.
He is also accused of lying under oath before the Constitutional Court and National Assembly, denying prior knowledge of the decree until after it was lifted. However, he later admitted discovering a copy of the proclamation in his pocket.
On Sunday, the special counsel formally requested the arrest warrant, arguing Han failed to prevent the unconstitutional decree.
“Prime Minister is the only official appointed directly by the President and is tasked with upholding the Constitution as the nation’s top state institution,” assistant special counsel Park Ji-young told reporters. “Han could have stopped the imposition of unlawful martial law but did not,” she added.
Han was one of six Cabinet members briefed by Yoon on the martial law plan. He attended a Cabinet meeting that reviewed the decree before its announcement and another the following day that rescinded it.
The court will examine the charges and evidence before ruling on the warrant during Wednesday’s hearing.
