Yoon’s decision to declare military rule and send troops to Seoul streets in December made him the country’s first president to be indicted while in office. If convicted of rebellion, he could face a life sentence, or theoretically, the death penalty.

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 for the start of a criminal trial over charges that he led an insurrection.

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol moved back on Friday with his wife and their 11 dogs and cats to their apartment in an upscale district of Seoul, close to the prosecutors’ office where the impeached leader worked before entering politics.