Former South Korean justice minister jailed over martial law plot

Former South Korean Justice Minister Park Sung-jae was sentenced to 25 years in prison on June 22 after a district court found him guilty of playing a key role in an insurrection linked to former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law declaration.

The Seoul Central District Court handed down a sentence that exceeded the 20-year prison term sought by the special counsel team led by Cho Eun-suk. The court ordered Park into immediate custody, citing concerns that he could destroy evidence, Yonhap News Agency reports.

Park had been indicted on charges of playing a central role in the insurrection and abusing his authority by convening a meeting of senior Justice Ministry officials following Yoon’s declaration of martial law on December 3, 2024.

The court convicted Park on both counts, accepting the special counsel’s argument that he called the meeting to review the possible dispatch of prosecutors to a martial law-supporting body, assess the capacity of correctional facilities to hold politicians and other prominent figures expected to be detained under martial law, and instruct officials responsible for travel bans to report for duty.

“The defendant ultimately turned his back on his duty of upholding the Constitution at the idea that the insurrection could succeed, choosing to instead take part in it,” the court said in its ruling.

Park is the latest member of Yoon’s former Cabinet to be convicted in connection with the martial law bid, joining figures including former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun.

In February, Yoon was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty of leading an insurrection through his brief imposition of martial law. He has appealed the verdict.

The court, however, dismissed separate allegations that Park violated South Korea’s anti-graft law, ruling that the charges fell outside the scope of the special counsel’s mandate.

Those allegations stemmed from claims that Park had issued improper instructions to subordinates in May 2024 following a request from Yoon’s wife, Kim Keon Hee, to obtain details related to a prosecution investigation into corruption allegations involving her.

Park’s legal team said it would immediately appeal the ruling, describing it as “a ruling not supported by the facts or legal principles.”

The special counsel team, meanwhile, said the judgment clearly defined the responsibility of a justice minister to oppose an unlawful declaration of martial law and safeguard the constitutional order, indicating that it was unlikely to appeal the decision.

By Vafa Guliyeva