Show of support: Police standing in front of pro-Yoon supporters on the side of a road as they wait for his arrival outside the Central District Court in Seoul. — AFP
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 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.
