President Yoon Suk Yeol’s legal team has rebutted opposition party lawmakers’ claim that martial law troops cut off power to part of the National Assembly at Yoon’s orders in the early hours of December 4. 

Yoon’s legal team issued a statement on Sunday denying the claim, calling it “distortion and manipulation.”  

The defense team said cutting off power was discussed as a way for the 707th Special Mission Group to carry out its mission to block access to the National Assembly, stressing that it was not intended to paralyze the National Assembly.

The team said Kwak Jong-keun, then chief of the Army Special Warfare Command, arbitrarily ordered the cutoff, noting that Kwak testified to having given the order without receiving any orders from anyone.  

Earlier on Sunday, Democratic Party lawmakers said they confirmed martial law troops had cut off power to the basement of the National Assembly for about five minutes starting at 1:06 a.m. on December 4, claiming Yoon ordered the move to prevent the Assembly from passing a resolution to lift martial law.