Former President Yoon Suk Yeol denied he committed insurrection when he put the country under martial law, upon appearing in court on Monday for the first day of his criminal trial.

At the Seoul Central District Court, the prosecution outlined the charges against Yoon, summarizing the events that unfolded from 10:30 p.m. on December 3 last year to around 3 o’clock the next morning.

Yoon directly disavowed the allegations against him, saying his martial law move did not amount to an insurrection.

He said he reviewed past insurrection cases and did not believe there were legal grounds to indict him over a nonviolent event that lasted only a few hours and immediately ended at the request of the National Assembly.

Yoon later asked the prosecution to display its presentation on the courtroom monitor to “prevent prejudice,” claiming that during his impeachment trial, many statements were made unilaterally by investigative agencies involved in the case and not verified.

The prosecution argued that the former president planned to incite an insurrection to subvert the nation’s constitutional order by, among other things, trying to block the National Assembly and the National Election Commission from exercising their powers through the deployment of police and martial law forces.

Yoon was formally stripped of office on April 4, after being impeached by lawmakers and suspended for declaring martial law.