A former South Korean defence minister charged with insurrection for his role in a short-lived martial law attempt told a court on Thursday that he wanted a broader military deployment but was overruled by President Yoon Suk Yeol.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attended on Tuesday a Constitutional Court hearing of his impeachment trial where he denied ordering military commanders to drag lawmakers out of parliament during his short-lived bid to impose martial law.

South Korean investigators transfer probe to prosecution, seek impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's indictment over martial law bid - Anadolu Ajansı

Yoon Suk Yeol’s presence at the court was his first public appearance since becoming South Korea’s first sitting president to be detained over his short-lived declaration of martial law, which plunged the country into political turmoil.

A Seoul court issued a warrant Saturday to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol for an extended period over his botched martial law bid last month in the first such detention of a sitting South Korean president.

South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been formally arrested, days after being apprehended at his presidential compound in Seoul.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is due to attend on Tuesday a Constitutional Court hearing of his impeachment trial where the detained leader may get a chance to argue his case or answer questions over his short-lived bid to impose martial law.