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.

The BBC has spoken to people close to the president to understand what drove him to trigger an authoritarian takeover.

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has unanimously removed Yoon Suk Yeol as president after he threw the nation into turmoil by declaring martial law and sending troops to parliament in an ill-fated effort to break through legislative gridlock.