Embattled South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, on Tuesday attended a Constitutional Court hearing of his impeachment trial. The impeached president denied ordering military commanders to drag lawmakers out of parliament during his short-lived bid to impose martial law.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in a Seoul court for his impeachment trial Tuesday, defending his short-lived martial law bid and denying charges that he ordered the military to drag lawmakers away.

LONDON -- South Korean prosecutors formally indicted President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday, charging him with insurrection over his brief imposition of martial law in December, according to opposition lawmakers and South Korean media.

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol told judges he was a “firm believer of liberal democracy” as he appeared for his impeachment trial for the first time since imposing a shock martial law decree. Mr Yoon appeared for the constitutional court hearing to decide whether to remove him from office permanently or reinstate him after he was impeached by the National Assembly.

Yoon says special forces soldiers sent to National Assembly on December 3 were not there to disable the legislature.

South Korea’s impeached president has denied that he ordered the military to drag lawmakers out of the National Assembly to prevent them from voting to reject his martial law decree last month, as he appeared for the first time before the Constitutional Court that will determine his fate.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attended on Tuesday a Constitutional Court hearing of his impeachment trial where he denied ordering military commanders to drag lawmakers out of parliament during his short-lived bid to impose martial law.

Yonhap news agency says South Korean prosecutors have indicted the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his imposition of martial law.

The Constitutional Court began the trial on Dec. 27 to review an impeachment motion that accused Yoon of violating his constitutional duty by imposing martial law with no justifiable grounds. The parliament’s legal team presented testimony from military ...

If South Korea is to remain a free and stable democracy, it cannot have one party unjustifiably impeaching government officials and the other imposing martial law.

The jailed president Yoon Suk Yeol, who had been holed up in his presidential compound for weeks after issuing a martial law decree last month, now faces rebellion charges punishable by the death penalty or life in prison.