South Korea's ousted premier said on Thursday that he had opposed suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of martial law, testifying for the first time at his former boss's impeachment trial about the events of a night that threw the country into turmoil.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol contested his arrest on rebellion charges in one court and pleaded to preserve his presidency in the other, both cases related to his brief imposition of martial law.

Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho said on Thursday he was proud of how his fellow South Koreans had overcome the fallout from impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.

South Korean prosecutors indicted the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on insurrection charges over his declaration of martial law, a move that plunged the country into political turmoil.

OUSTED South Korean leader Yoon Suk Yeol’s lawyer on Thursday said his bid to impose martial law was aimed at thwarting a “legislative dictatorship” by the opposition-controlled parliament, as the president became the country’s first sitting head of state to stand trial in a criminal case.

South Korean police are formally building a case against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over accusations he obstructed the execution of an arrest warrant, a police spokesperson said on Friday.

South Korean police are formally pursuing charges against impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for allegedly obstructing the execution of his arrest warrant, a police spokesperson confirmed Friday. A South Korean court

The 64-year-old former prosecutor has been behind bars since he was arrested last month on charges of insurrection, for which he could be sentenced to life in prison or face the death penalty.

South Korea's ousted President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday (Feb 20) became the nation's first head of state to face criminal proceedings in the nation's history. The trial, which began on Thursday at Seoul's Central District Court,