SEOUL: Detained President Yoon Suk Yeol on Thursday defied an order by investigators to appear for a second day of questioning over his short-lived imposition of martial law, the state anti-corruption agency said. The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) reported that Yoon's lawyer notified the agency just 10 minutes before the scheduled questioning at 2 p.m. that Yoon would not attend.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Yoon's lawyer, Yun Gap-geun, stated earlier that the president had no intention of undergoing further questioning, although the CIO had rescheduled the session from morning to afternoon at Yoon's request. "President Yoon is not well and fully explained his position yesterday so there is nothing more to be interrogated about," Yun explained.

Yoon spent the previous night at a detention center after over 10 hours of questioning at the CIO office in Gwacheon, south of Seoul. He was detained at his residence and brought to the office the same day. Yoon faces charges of insurrection and abuse of power following his declaration of martial law on December 3, allegations he denies. The CIO reported that Yoon refused to answer any questions on Wednesday.

Yoon's legal team has filed for a review of the legality of the warrant issued for his detention, with the review scheduled at the Seoul Central District Court at 5 p.m. The court has 48 hours from the time of receiving the request on Wednesday to question Yoon, assess the evidence presented by investigators, and decide on the lawfulness of the detention. Should the court find the detention unlawful, Yoon will be released from custody.