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.

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.