The appeals trial of former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, who are accused of engaging in key duties related to insurrection, has been referred to the Supreme Court's en banc bench.

The Supreme Court decided to refer the two cases to the en banc bench, taking into consideration the high level of public interest, the need for a historic judicial assessment, and the fact that the two defendants are co-conspirators. Until now, Han's case had been heard by the Supreme Court's Second Division (Presiding Justice Oh Kyung-mi) and Lee's case by the Third Division (Presiding Justice Lee Heung-gu). Going forward, all Supreme Court Justices except the Minister of the National Court Administration will handle both cases together.

The en banc bench is a judicial panel in which all Supreme Court Justices hear cases involving significant social repercussions or requiring a change in legal precedent, with Chief Justice Cho Hee-dae presiding.

Han was indicted on charges including involvement in the process of declaring emergency martial law on December 3, 2024, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison in the first trial and 15 years in the appeals trial. Lee was indicted on charges of involvement in blocking key institutions, including relaying orders to cut off electricity and water supplies to media outlets during martial law, and was sentenced to 7 years in the first trial and 9 years in the appeals trial.

Han, Lee, and the Cho Eun-seok special counsel team investigating insurrection charges all appealed the appellate court rulings. Under the Special Counsel Act, the Supreme Court must issue a ruling on cases prosecuted by a special counsel within one month from the date of receipt, meaning decisions in both cases are expected to be handed down within this month.