Yoon, apprehended Wednesday on charges of insurrection and abuse of power, appeared at the Seoul Western District Court wearing a dark business suit, accompanied by eight lawyers.
The hearing before Judge Cha Eun-kyung began at 2 p.m. and lasted until 6:50 p.m.
Yoon spoke for about 40 minutes, defending the legitimacy of his Dec. 3 martial law declaration. He also made five-minute closing remarks.
He was then returned to the Seoul Detention Center to await the court's decision, expected late Saturday or early Sunday.
If the court grants the warrant, Yoon will remain in custody for an additional 20 days. If rejected, he would immediately return to his residence.
Yoon faces accusations of illegally declaring martial law and deploying forces to the National Assembly and National Election Commission on Dec. 3.
The measure was lifted six hours later after lawmakers voted it down. Parliament impeached Yoon on Dec. 14.
Prosecutors argued that his actions constituted attempts to disrupt the constitutional order and that his detention is needed to prevent evidence tampering or a flight risk.
Yoon’s defense team maintained that the declaration was a lawful exercise of presidential authority during a national emergency caused by the opposition parties’ obstruction of government functions.
They also challenged whether the CIO has the authority to investigate insurrection charges and questioned the court's jurisdiction.
Yoon’s legal team initially said Friday that he would skip the hearing. However, he reversed his decision after consulting with his legal team Saturday.
"He wishes to restore his honor by explaining the legitimacy of the martial law declaration and refuting the charges of insurrection in court and at the Constitutional Court," said Yoon Gap-geun, one of his legal representatives.
Outside the courthouse, more than 36,000 Yoon supporters rallied, waving Korean and U.S. flags and chanting, "Impeachment invalid," and "Release the president!"
Police detained 17 demonstrators who scaled the wall and entered court grounds.
Yoon was apprehended at his official residence in Seoul on Wednesday and remained silent during 10 hours of initial questioning.
He has since been held at the detention center, refusing further questioning.
He is also the first sitting president to attend a pretrial detention hearing since the system's introduction in 1997.
Former President Park Geun-hye attended a similar hearing in 2017, but only after leaving office.
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