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 upheld the parliament’s decision to impeach the country’s suspended president, Yoon Suk Yeol, on April 4. The court stated that, by declaring martial law in December, Yoon had taken actions that were beyond the powers granted by South Korea’s constitution.

Yoon sought to impose military rule on the country when he ordered the suspension of political activity and the censorship of media on December 3. The decree lasted just six hours as it was voted down