A trial has begun for main opposition People Power Party(PPP) Rep. Choo Kyung-ho, who stands accused of playing a key role in last year’s martial law situation by obstructing a parliamentary vote to revoke the short-lived decree.

On Wednesday the Seoul Central District Court convened a preparatory hearing ahead of the actual trial, and Choo was absent as his presence was not required.

Choo’s legal team said it needs more time to go through all relevant records and state a position on the charges, and that it expects to be prepared by the first or second week of February.

The special counsel team in charge of the martial law case asked the court to allow another preparatory hearing, which was later set for February 9.

The team accuses the then-PPP floor leader of repeatedly shifting the location of a PPP gathering between the National Assembly and party headquarters, preventing 90 of the 108 PPP representatives from casting ballots on the motion to rescind martial law.

The motion still passed, with all 190 lawmakers present voting in favor.

The court earlier ruled against putting Choo in pretrial detention, saying there is room to dispute the charges and that he is not a flight risk.