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.

In South Korea, the trial of the former president of the country, Yoon Suk Yeol, has begun. He is suspected of attempting to organize a coup through the introduction of martial law, according to Yonhap and France24.

South Korea’s constitutional court upheld the parliament’s decision to impeach the country’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, on April 4. The court stated that, by declaring martial law in December, Yoon had taken actions that were beyond the powers granted by South Korea’s constitution.