Former President Yoon Suk Yeol (L) is seen in a car entering the Seoul Central District Court on April 14, 2025, ahead of his first criminal trial on insurrection charges related to his brief imposition of martial law in December.

Yoon Suk Yeol's legal saga is far from over. Ten days after he was ousted from office over his martial law declaration, the former conservative South Korean president appeared for the first time at his criminal trial Monday on high-stakes rebellion charges.

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.