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 has unanimously removed Yoon Suk Yeol as president after he threw the nation into turmoil by declaring martial law and sending troops to parliament in an ill-fated effort to break through legislative gridlock.