South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday vowed to fight "until the very last minute", in a defiant address defending his shock decision to declare martial law and deploy troops to the country's parliament last week.

Embattled South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has defended his shock decision to declare martial law last week, saying he did it to protect the country's democracy. In a surprise televised address on Thursday, he said the attempt was a legal decision to "prevent the collapse" of democracy and counter the opposition's "parliamentary dictatorship".

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday lashed out at his political opponents as "anti-state forces", said North Korea has hacked the country's elections and defended his short-lived martial law order as a legal move to protect democracy.