South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has appeared in court defending his declaration of martial law in December.
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00:00Appearing for the first time in front of the court that will decide his fate.
00:08South Korea's impeached President Yoon Seok-yol.
00:12His presidential power suspended because of his short-lived declaration of martial law.
00:18Here at the Constitutional Court, he denied ordering the military to drag lawmakers out
00:24of the National Assembly to stop them overturning his bid for martial law.
00:29That, he said, would have been indefensible.
00:52Yoon says his martial law decree on December 3rd was meant as a warning to the opposition,
00:58who dominate the National Assembly and have obstructed his agenda.
01:03His action appalled many in South Korea and plunged the country into political turmoil.
01:09But outside the court, thousands of Yoon's supporters.
01:18Some invoking new U.S. President Donald Trump and the Stop the Steal slogan chanted by Trump's
01:25supporters after he lost the 2020 election.
01:56The Constitutional Court will decide by June whether to give Yoon back his presidential
02:05powers.
02:06But adding to his troubles, he's now detained and under investigation on charges of insurrection.
02:13If found guilty, he could face years in prison or even the death penalty.
02:18Yoon's martial law declaration seven weeks ago hit South Korea's democratic image hard.
02:25Inside its borders, the ongoing fallout is deepening political divisions.
02:31Klein Wong and Louise Watt for Taiwan Plus.