South Korean prosecutors charged President Yoon Suk Yeol for his failed attempt last month to place the country under martial law, Yonhap News Agency said, forcing the impeached leader to remain in detention as they build a case against him.

President Yoon Suk Yeol will stand trial along with his former defense minister and others who participated in his short-lived imposition of martial law.

The charges are unprecedented for a South Korean president, and if convicted, Yoon Suk Yeol could face years in prison for his shock martial-law decree, which sought to ban political and parliamentary activity and control the media.