South Korean investigators have asked prosecutors to indict jailed President Yoon Suk Yeol over his brief imposition of martial law last month, which the country’s ousted defense minister testified wanted a wider military deployment from Yoon.

Yoon again defended his actions as he appeared at a court hearing for the second time on Thursday, saying the Dec. 3 state of emergency decree was only meant to inform the public of the danger of the opposition-controlled National Assembly. He claimed that the imposition of martial law was ended early because he quickly withdrew troops after the assembly voted his decree.

“The reason for declaring a state of emergency was not to warn the opposition. I was trying to appeal to people to withdraw their strict surveillance and criticism of the opposition,” Yoon said at a hearing at the Constitutional Court. No matter how many warnings I sent to the opposition, they would be useless.

On December 14, the assembly impeached Yoon and suspended him. The Constitutional Court is now deciding whether to officially remove Yoon from office or reinstate him.

Appearing at the same hearing, Yoon’s martial law defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun, supported the president’s argument, saying he drafted the decree and proposed it to Yoon.

Kim, a close associate of Yoon’s who is also in custody, claimed that Yoon asked him to remove the public curfew from the ordinance, deploy far fewer troops to the assembly than he originally proposed and prevent troops from carrying live ammunition.

“Yes,” Kim said when asked by Yoon’s lawyers whether the president overruled the defense minister’s recommendation to mobilize all military units stationed in Seoul.

Kim confirmed that he had also proposed sending some units to opposition party headquarters and a leftist polling firm.

Kim’s statements could not immediately be independently verified. He previously said that all responsibility for the introduction of the state of emergency lies solely with him. He was prevented from attempting suicide while in custody, a few days after the ill-fated enactment of martial law.

Since taking office in 2022, Yoon, a conservative, has battled near-constant friction with the main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which has obstructed his agenda and recalled some of his top officials. In his announcement of the state of emergency, Yoon called the assembly a “den of criminals” that interferes with government business and vowed to eliminate “shameless North Korean followers and anti-state forces.”

President accused of abuse of power

Yoon’s martial law, the first of its kind in South Korea in more than 40 years, lasted just six hours. Yoon sent the army and police into the National Assembly, but enough lawmakers managed to enter the assembly hall and unanimously voted to lift the emergency decree.

Yoon and Kim said his deployment of troops and police forces was designed to maintain order. But the opposition and investigative authorities believe they tried to seal the assembly to prevent lawmakers from overturning his decree and planned to arrest some politicians. Yoon and Kim denied this.

Yoon could be seen occasionally nodding to Kim during the testimony.

WATCH | Dramatic scenes earlier this month as the president was taken in for questioning:

Impeached South Korean president arrested after police raid his home

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested and questioned by authorities on Wednesday in connection with a criminal sedition investigation. He said he was only cooperating with what he called an illegal investigation to avoid violence. An estimated 3,000 police officers were deployed to Yoon’s presidential compound and brought wire cutters and ladders.

Earlier on Thursday, the Corruption Investigation Office for Senior Officials (CIO) said Yoon, in collaboration with Kim and other military commanders, allegedly committed rebellion by organizing “riots” and seeking to undermine the constitution when he declared martial law. The CIO also accused Yoon of abusing his authority by mobilizing troops for illegitimate purposes and obstructing parliament’s right to vote on lifting martial law.

Under the law, the leader of the rebellion can face life imprisonment or the death penalty. Since being detained by the CIO, Yoon has refused attempts to question him. He claims that the investigation and his detention are illegal.

“As you know, despite the nationally serious charge of being the ringleader of the rebellion, the suspect has consistently maintained an uncooperative attitude and defied criminal court proceedings,” Lee Jae-seung, deputy chief prosecutor at the CIO, said at a televised briefing.

Yoon’s defense team released a statement accusing the CIO of “humiliating” Yoon by trying to pressure him to talk to investigators and abusing his human rights by preventing him from contacting family members.

In his first appearance at a hearing before the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, Yoon denied ordering the military to pull lawmakers out of the National Assembly to prevent them from voting. Commanders of military units sent to the assembly testified that Yoon ordered them to withdraw the deputies.

Yoon’s emergency decree rocked South Korean politics and financial markets and damaged its international image. Yoon’s subsequent defiance and opposition pressure to oust him also exacerbated South Korea’s already serious internal divisions.