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Former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo arrives at the special counsel’s office at the Seoul High Court in Seocho, Seoul, on August 19, to be questioned as a suspect over his alleged role in the December 3 martial law case. / Source: Song Ui-joo

The special counsel investigating the December 3 martial law case signaled on August 19 that former Prime Minister Han Deok-soo could face a different outcome from the Constitutional Court’s earlier decision to dismiss his impeachment.

Special Counsel Park Ji-young told reporters that the Constitutional Court had cleared Han in March due to a lack of evidence at the time. “When the Court reviewed the case, objective evidence had not yet been gathered. Since the launch of the probe, significant new evidence has been collected,” she explained.

The Court had previously ruled that Han could not be deemed to have colluded with or aided former President Yoon Suk-yeol in declaring martial law.

Park noted that investigators are scrutinizing why Han recommended convening a Cabinet meeting at the time. “The key issue is whether this should be viewed as an omission—a failure to act—or as an active step to legitimize the martial law declaration,” she said.

Han appeared before the special counsel’s office at the Seoul High Court building in Seocho on August 19 to undergo questioning as a suspect in connection with the alleged conspiracy.

Separately, the team also summoned Jang Ho-jin, former presidential aide for foreign and security affairs, as a witness. Investigators are examining whether Jang, who served as national security adviser from January to August last year, had received reports on an Army drone unit’s planned “Pyongyang infiltration mission.”