Yonhap news agency says South Korean prosecutors have indicted the impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his imposition of martial law.

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 Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denied wrongdoing as he branded himself as a firm believer in democracy in his first appearance at an impeachment trial looking into his shocking and brief imposition of martial law last month.