The so-called Choongampa faction, a group with origins in the private school in Seoul where imprisoned South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol studied in the 1970s, appears to be a key element in the plot behind his recently foiled decision to declare martial law.

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.

The assembly impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol last month, but the Constitutional Court will decide whether to formally dismiss or reinstate him.