Anchor: The National Assembly's special committee on a parliamentary investigation into alleged insurrection through the December 3 martial law decree held its first hearing on Wednesday. After President Yoon Suk Yeol failed to appear as a witness, the committee issued an order for Yoon and six other witnesses to appear at the hearing. Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: The National Assembly's special committee on a probe into alleged insurrection through the December 3 martial law decree held its first hearing on Wednesday. 

The committee had requested 76 witnesses to appear Wednesday but some 20 of them, including President Yoon Suk Yeol and former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, were not present at the hearing.

Their absence prompted the opposition-dominated committee to issue an order for seven witnesses, including Yoon and Kim, to appear at the hearing by 2 p.m. 

There has yet to be any response to the request. 

At the hearing, the ruling People Power Party took issue with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials(CIO) banning the president from meeting visitors other than his lawyers.

The party also said there is no need for the CIO to forcibly bring Yoon to its office. 

The opposition camp, on its part, stressed the need for finance minister Choi Sang-mok to appear at the committee hearing, claiming that Choi personally received a note from Yoon on compiling a budget for an emergency legislative body. 

Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.