South Korean prosecutors request arrest of former PM Han Duck-soo over martial law role

South Korean prosecutors on Sunday filed an arrest warrant for former prime minister Han Duck-soo, accusing him of aiding ex-president Yoon Suk Yeol in declaring martial law in December and later lying in court.

A court is set to review the validity of the warrant to detain the 76-year-old career bureaucrat in the coming days.

If approved, it would be the first time in South Korean history that both a former president and a prime minister are imprisoned.

Former first lady Kim Keon Hee is also behind bars on stock manipulation charges.

“Prosecutors requested an arrest warrant against Han on charges including aiding the ringleader of insurrection, perjury, fabricating official documents, and damaging public records,” prosecutor Park Ji-young told reporters at a news briefing.

As prime minister, Han stood “as the foremost state institution guaranteeing the president’s duty to safeguard the nation and the constitution”, she said.

“These considerations regarding the role of the prime minister formed the basis of today’s request.”

Yoon’s stunning December 3 martial law declaration saw armed soldiers deploy to the National Assembly but was swiftly voted down by opposition MPs, leading to his impeachment.

Yoon was formally removed from office in April by the Constitutional Court, which ruled that his martial law declaration – the first in more than 40 years – violated the constitution.

Han assumed Yoon’s post as acting president and was once seen as a strong candidate of the conservative bloc to run in a snap election.

He resigned from the role in May to pursue a presidential bid, which soon collapsed when Yoon’s party refused to nominate him as its standard-bearer.