President Yoon Suk Yeol claimed allegations of election rigging are not part of a conspiracy theory, saying he declared martial law in a bid to verify related facts.

At the third hearing of his impeachment trial on Tuesday, Yoon denied assertions that his defense team was seeking to justify martial law by claiming afterhand that there was election rigging.

Yoon said there were many suspicions about fairness in the election system prior to the decree, and that the National Intelligence Service(NIS) found problems during a minimal inspection of the election watchdog's computerized equipment in October 2023.

The president said the intent was to check up on the National Election Commission's(NEC) computerized system, rather than to hunt down those involved in the alleged rigging.

Meanwhile, the legal team representing the National Assembly requested questioning witnesses after Yoon has left the court or to set up a screen to allow them to testify freely.

The president refuted the request, saying he can not wield any influence after being suspended from official duties.