Cho Sung-hyun, head of the First Security Group of the Capital Defense Command, testified that he received an order from his then-superior on the night of the December 3 martial law to remove lawmakers from the National Assembly. 

Appearing as a witness at former President Yoon Suk Yeol's insurrection trial on Monday, Cho confirmed he received the order to occupy the Assembly and remove lawmakers from former Capital Defense Commander Lee Jin-woo between 12:31 a.m. and 1 a.m. on December 4.

Cho had provided the same testimony as a witness during Yoon's impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court. 

He added that after he urged his commander to communicate with the special operations commander, due to limitations on his unit, he was instructed to support the special operations command's forcible removal by preventing anyone attempting to block the move. 

Meanwhile, Yoon's defense team strongly opposed Cho being selected as the first witness in the trial, as Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul were originally scheduled to testify first during the preparatory hearing.