High-ranking military officials in South Korea say they were unaware of President Yoon Suk-yeol's plan to declare martial law until it went public. One official said former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun, who resigned on Thursday, was responsible for ordering the deployment of troops to parliament.

A crowd of protestors gathered outside the national assembly building for the second straight day and called on lawmakers to vote to impeach Yoon. Members of the main opposition Democratic Party say they plan to hold the vote on Saturday.

On Thursday, lawmakers questioned military officials at an emergency meeting of the parliament's defense committee. Army Chief of Staff Park An-su said he briefly assumed the role of martial law commander. He added that he does not know who ordered troops to enter parliament.

Vice Defense Minister Kim Seon-ho said he first heard about the declaration of martial law in a news report. Questioned by a lawmaker about whether he ordered the deployment of troops, Kim said: "I'm not in position to order it. The minister himself ordered the deployment."

Media reports say prosecutors have launched a case against Kim Yong-hyun, the former defense minister. He is reportedly under investigation and has been banned from traveling.