South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has refused to order the arrest of lawmakers in the impeachment trial

Police built human walls and held anti-riot barricades to stop hundreds of supporters who had gathered nearby from getting too close. Last weekend saw violence as dozens of Yoon supporters clashed with law enforcement and stormed another court house.

On Tuesday, Yoon was asked if he had ordered military commanders to “drag” lawmakers out of parliament on the night he declared martial law, to prevent them from reversing his orders.

He replied: “No.”

The military commander previously said Yoon had given such an order on December 3, after lawmakers scaled fences and dismantled barricades to enter the parliament building and vote for Yoon’s martial law declaration.

“I am a person who lives with a strong belief in liberal democracy,” Yoon said in his opening remarks on Tuesday.

“Since the constitutional court exists to protect the constitution, I request you to carefully examine all aspects of this case,” he told the judge.

During the trial, which lasted almost two hours, Yoon and his lawyer argued that martial law was “a formality that is not intended to be executed”.

Yoon had cited threats from “anti-state forces” and North Korea when he declared martial law, but it soon became clear that his move was motivated not by external threats but by his domestic political concerns.

Lawyers prosecuting the case, who were elected by parliament, accused Yoon and his lawyers of making “largely contradictory, irrational, and unclear” comments.

“If they continue to avoid responsibility as they are now, it will only work against them in the impeachment trial and lead to greater disappointment among the public,” prosecutors told reporters after the trial.