A Ministry of Justice vehicle (C) carrying arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol drives into the Constitutional Court in Seoul on Jan. 23, 2025, as Yoon will attend the fourth hearing of his impeachment trial for his short-lived imposition of martial law in December.

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.

South Korea looks set for a dramatic political showdown this week as impeachment proceedings kick off against suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, who remains holed up in his fortified residence evading arrest for a separate criminal investigation.

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.

Yoon, currently suspended from his duties with his powers transferred to an acting president, did not attend two previous hearings earlier this month. The court has until June 11 to decide whether to

South Korea's anti-corruption agency on Thursday transferred to prosecutors its case against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, recommending his indictment for insurrection and abuse of power over his brief martial law declaration.

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.