South Korean President Taken to Hospital After Testifying in Court

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was taken to a military hospital in Seoul today after making his first appearance before the Constitutional Court in his impeachment trial, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.

The convoy that was supposed to transport Yoon back to the detention center south of Seoul, where he has been held in pre-trial detention for a week, left the Constitutional Court in the middle of the afternoon (local time) and headed straight to the hospital.

According to the presidential office and legal sources cited by Yonhap, Yoon was taken to the hospital for medical examinations.

The trip to the hospital was authorized by the director of the detention center where he is being held, the agency added.

In court, Yoon denied that he had ordered the military to remove lawmakers from parliament to prevent them from voting to reject the martial law decree, according to the US news agency AP.

After abruptly imposing martial law on December 3, Yoon sent troops and police to surround the National Assembly.

However, enough lawmakers managed to get inside to vote unanimously to reject the decree, forcing Yoon’s cabinet to lift the measure the following morning.

The National Assembly voted to remove Yoon from office on December 14, a decision that will now be heard by the Constitutional Court.

Yoon’s appearance at the court was his first public appearance since becoming South Korea’s first sitting president to be arrested over the declaration of martial law, which plunged the country into political crisis.

“This is my first time here, so I will speak briefly,” Yoon said after asking the court’s acting president, Moon Hyung-bae, to speak.

“Since I came of age, I have lived with a firm belief in liberal democracy until today, and especially during my time in public service,” he said.

"Since the Constitutional Court is an institution that exists to uphold the Constitution, I ask the judges to consider me favorably," he added, as quoted by Yonhap.

The Constitutional Court has 180 days from the date it received the case on December 14 to confirm the impeachment or reject it and reinstate Yoon as head of state.

If the impeachment is confirmed, early presidential elections will have to be held within 60 days.