South Korea initiates criminal insurrection trial against ousted president Yoon

The latest news on South Korea. South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol has begun on Monday the criminal trial for charges of insurrection, stemming from his brief martial law declaration last December.

In court, former president Yoon denied that his actions late last year were a coup, claiming that the six-hour military lockdown was a necessary and temporary measure to alert the nation to what he viewed as an overreach by the opposition.

However, prosecutors argue that his declaration lacked legal grounds and destabilised the country, leading to his impeachment earlier this month. Amid this legal storm, Yoon remains defiant, with the nation heading toward a snap election in June.