Lee Jin-woo, former chief of the Capital Defense Command, was summoned as a witness but repeatedly declined to answer most questions, citing his legal right to remain silent.
"I'm fully aware of the gravity of the matter," Lee said during the hearing. "But given that I am facing criminal charges, my answers must remain restricted."
Lee is among several former senior military officials accused of orchestrating a plan to detain opposition lawmakers and prevent them from entering the National Assembly to end martial law.
Investigators reportedly found that on Dec. 3, the day martial law was declared, Yoon called Lee directly and ordered him to arrest four lawmakers "by force if necessary." According to the probe, Yoon told him to "break down the doors and drag them out."
Also testifying Tuesday are Yeo In-hyung, former head of the Defense Counterintelligence Command, and Hong Jang-won, former deputy director of the National Intelligence Service. Both have been accused of conspiring in the plot under Yoon's orders.
Yeo is alleged to have received instructions from then-Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun to detain key political figures, including Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), and Han Dong-hoon, the former leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).
During the hearing, Yeo refused to comment on the order to arrest politicians. However, he confirm that he had followed Kim's orders regarding the deployment of military forces.
Hong has previously testified that he had been told by Yeo to oversee the arrests after receiving a phone call from Yoon ordering him to "round them all up and put an end to this."
On the same day, Yoon, who has denied any involvement in the alleged plot, filed a request to cancel his detention with the Seoul Central District Court. The court is required to decide whether to accept the request within seven days of receiving it.
Relevant laws stipulate that if there is no reason for detention or if the grounds for detention are no longer valid, the court must cancel the detention. This applies in cases where it is confirmed that the detention was made without proper cause or if the reasons for detention have been eliminated, such as when concerns about flight risk or evidence tampering have been resolved.
Meanwhile, over 200 diehard supporters of Yoon gathered in front of the court to express their support, braving the biting cold, while about 3,000 police officers were mobilized to manage the crowd.
Yoon's next hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
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