South Korea's Constitutional Court is set to rule Friday on whether to strip impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol of office over his abortive declaration of martial law which plunged the country into political chaos.

Yoon, who has defended his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule as necessary to root out "anti-state forces", still commands the backing of die-hard supporters, who have staged protests for weeks in the run-up to the verdict.

But tens of thousands of demonstrators have also poured into the streets every weekend demanding the court remove him. They say that a failure to act could endanger the democracy their country has enjoyed since 1987, following years of dictatorships.

AFP spoke to people in Seoul about how they feel:

Lee Jae-hee, 47, said he hoped the court would uphold Yoon's impeachment.

"I've learned that the foundation of the rule of law is common sense," the welfare worker told AFP.

"I don't think President Yoon has ever acted in that spirit. That's why I believe he needs to be fully impeached."

On the night of Yoon's martial law........

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