Martial law declaration late last year was "not a coup d’etat", ousted South Korean president Yoon tells court

South Korea's ousted president Yoon Suk Yeol (centre, in vehicle) arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in Seoul on April 14, 2025, to attend his criminal trial. Former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol will face his first criminal trial on April 14, for insurrection after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December, which plunged the democratic country into political turmoil. - Photo: Yonhap/ AFP

SEOUL: South Korea's ousted leader Yoon Suk Yeol argued that his brief martial law declaration late last year was "not a coup d’etat" as he appeared in court on Monday (April 14) for the start of a criminal trial over charges that he led an insurrection.

The martial law attempt, which lasted about six hours before Yoon backed down in the face of parliamentary opposition and public protests, plunged the country into months of turmoil and led to the Constitutional Court removing him from the presidency this month for violating constitutional powers.