South Korea's impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, on Tuesday (Jan 21), denied giving instructions to the military to forcibly remove lawmakers from parliament, aiming to prevent them from voting against his declaration of martial law.
On being asked by a judge at the country's Constitutional Court if he had instructed top commanders "to drag out the lawmakers gathered in the National Assembly to lift the martial law", Yoon said "no", news agency AFP reported citing pool report of the court proceedings.
Yoon made his first appearance at the court on Tuesday, pledging to cooperate with the judges who will determine his fate if he will be removed from the office.
"I will respond to any questions or provide further remarks if necessary," Yoon told the judge.
Protesters vandalise court building after Yoon's detention extended
Earlier on Sunday (Jan 19), protesters broke the windows of the court and barged inside after a court extended Yoon's detention for up to 20 days.
Yoon was arrested last week, marking the first time a sitting president faced arrest in the country's history.
After the court's decision was announced around 3 am (1800 GMT) on Sunday, Yoon's supporters stormed the building.
Dramatic footage captured protesters discharging fire extinguishers at police lines guarding the main entrance, before they surged forward, overwhelming the security cordon.
They then barged inside the building, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake, including smashed office equipment and overturned furniture.
Also read: South Korea's suspended President Yoon refuses to be questioned, for the second day
Yoon's arrest
Yoon has been held in a detention centre since Wednesday night after officials apprehended him at his residence, a dramatic arrest that saw police scale the walls to storm his "fortress".
Authorities are investigating whether his brief attempt to impose martial law on December 3 amounted to insurrection—a charge punishable by life imprisonment or, in extreme cases, the death penalty. The parliament swiftly overturned the martial law declaration, following which Yoon was impeached.
Yoon's team claims that the arrest warrant against him is illegal. They have filed a complaint against the CIO chief and some police officials over the warrant against the suspended president.
(With inputs from agencies)