South Korea's anti-corruption agency requested on Thursday that prosecutors indict President Yoon Suk Yeol for committing insurrection and abuse of power over his short-lived declaration of martial law after transferring his case to the prosecutors' office.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's anti-corruption agency that is leading a criminal investigation into impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived attempt to declare martial law said on Thursday it will transfer the case to the prosecutors' office for an indictment.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attended on Tuesday a Constitutional Court hearing of his impeachment trial where he denied ordering military commanders to drag lawmakers out of parliament during his short-lived bid to impose martial law.

The Jeju Air flight was bringing passengers home from Thailand after Christmas when it made an emergency landing at Muan airport and exploded after slamming into a concrete barrier at the end of the runway.

South Korea's transport ministry said on Wednesday that it would remove the concrete embankment installed at Muan International Airport following last month's Jeju Air crash, its deadliest domestic air disaster.

South Korea will extend runway safety areas and redesign infrastructure after the crash of a Jeju Air Co. flight last month that killed almost everyone on board, sparking criticism that the design of the airport might have exacerbated the accident.

North Korea defended its right to maintain a nuclear weapons program at a United Nations disarmament conference held shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump referred to the North as a "nuclear power.