Special Prosecution Seeks Two Years in Prison for Yoon Over Perjury in Han Duck-soo Trial: "False Testimony Before the Entire Nation"

"Yoon, a Former Prosecutor, Was Fully Aware of the Seriousness of Perjury"

The special prosecution team for the insurrection case, led by Cho Eun-seok, has requested a two-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Seok-youl, who has been brought to trial on charges of perjury in the insurrection trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

Former President Yoon Sukyeol is attending his first trial on charges of obstruction of special official duties and abuse of authority at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on September 26, 2025. Photo by the Joint Press Corps

On April 16, at the sentencing hearing for former President Yoon's perjury case held at the Criminal Agreement Division 32 of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Ryu Kyung-jin), the special prosecution team made this request.

Former President Yoon was additionally indicted on charges of giving false testimony while appearing as a witness at the trial last November for former Prime Minister Han, who was charged with engaging in major duties related to insurrection. Yoon allegedly testified falsely, claiming that he had planned a Cabinet meeting before Han's suggestion. During the trial, when the special prosecution team asked whether Han had proposed convening a Cabinet meeting "to create a legal appearance," Yoon responded, "Cabinet members are not puppets assembled just for appearances, and isn't that question too suggestive?"

The special prosecution team emphasized that, despite having had no intention to convene a Cabinet meeting composed of Cabinet members on the day of the December 3 Martial Law declaration, former President Yoon gave false testimony when questioned about it in court.

The special prosecution team pointed out, "The defendant claims that a Cabinet meeting was held to declare martial law, but did not prepare any related documents in advance. In fact, he conspired with Han Duck-soo and Kim Yong-hyun (former Minister of National Defense) to fabricate the martial law declaration document after the fact."

The prosecution further stressed that, "As someone who worked as a prosecutor for over 20 years, former President Yoon was fully aware of the seriousness of perjury. Nevertheless, when his accomplice Han Duck-soo was put on trial for engaging in major duties related to insurrection, Yoon committed perjury to protect his accomplice and reduce his own liability."

The special prosecution team stated, "Actively making false statements during a trial watched by the entire nation is an egregious offense. Even now, the defendant continues to repeat false claims to conceal the truth instead of showing any remorse, and thus a severe punishment is warranted."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.