Han, then the leader of Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP), was widely seen as one of the presiden’t closest allies. Yet that was Han’s first hint that Yoon was about to do something unprecedented.

By midnight, the president had plunged the country into a political maelstrom, declaring martial law as part of a self-proclaimed bid to eliminate “anti-state forces” and North Korea sympathisers.

“When I first heard the news of martial law, I thought, ‘We must stop it, because if it isn’t lifted that very night, a bloodbath might occur,'” Han tells BBC Korean.

“The fear and terror that South Korea’s decades-long, hard-won achievements might suddenly collapse were overwhelming.”

Soon after Yoon’s announcement, the opposition’s Democratic Party leader hosted a live stream urging people to assemble in protest outside the National Assembly building in central Seoul.

Thousands responded, clashing with police and blocking military units as opposition lawmakers rushed into the assembly building, clambering over fences and walls in a desperate attempt to block Yoon’s order.

Han was among them.

The late-night martial law edict seemed to have come from nowhere. It was, and remains, unclear who in Yoon’s party supported or even knew of the move before it was made. But in the hours that followed, Han would help lead a successful attempt to overturn Yoon’s order and have the declaration lifted.

Weeks later, he would also play a key role in impeaching the disgraced president – a move that would see him branded a “traitor” by mainstream members of the PPP, and ultimately lead to his resignation as party leader.

Han says he has “no regrets” about overturning Yoon’s martial law attempt, insisting that he’d “choose the same again”.

But in many people’s eyes, his subsequent decision to impeach the very president he’d helped get elected was a surprising heel turn for someone formerly viewed as Yoon’s right-hand man.

“We have experienced so much together over many years,” Han says of his relationship with Yoon.

“I find the current situation extremely painful and regretful. Both the president and I worked in good faith for the betterment of our country – yet I must say that I deeply regret how things have turned out.”

For years, Han and Yoon were inseparable allies. Having both attended Seoul National University, the two forged a close bond as prosecutors while jointly investigating corruption in the country’s halls of power.

Han gained political prominence when Yoon was narrowly elected president in May 2022, after beating his opponent by less than 1% of the vote.

Han was made Minister of Justice and later entrusted with the key role of Emergency Countermeasures Committee Chairman for the PPP, becoming the leader of the ruling party at the age of 50.

Yoon’s time in office was beleaguered by scandals and political failures – not least of all his landslide loss to the opposition Democratic Party last April.

The result of those parliamentary elections was widely seen as a vote of no confidence against Yoon, and rendered him a lame-duck president.

For most of Yoon’s administration, the PPP’s conservative base was enthusiastic about Han. The lawyer-turned-politician had quickly emerged as a likely party candidate for the next presidential election, originally scheduled for 2027.

Now, as the increasing likelihood of a 2025 election looms amid the fallout of Yoon’s ill-fated martial law attempt, Han’s reputation is largely defined by the way he acted during and after that fateful night.

While some still see him as a fresh and promising political figure, many view him as having betrayed the very president who had furthered his career.

In the weeks following Yoon’s abortive martial law order, the embattled president curried favour among PPP hardliners by refusing to cede political ground.

While he apologised for the events of December 3, he refused to resign, instead holing up in his official residence in defiance of calls for his impeachment.

He rallied his base and defended his decision by playing on unsubstantiated fears that the country was in danger.

It was these staunch Yoon loyalists who would come to turn against Han.

Despite having rejected Yoon’s martial law declaration on December 3, Han initially opposed the impeachment motion put forth against the president by South Korea’s political opposition – siding with almost every other PPP member in boycotting the first vote on December 7.

Days later, Han changed course. This was after allegations had emerged that during the martial law attempt Yoon had ordered key political figures – including Han – to be arrested. In allegiance with his close political aides, Han threw his full support behind a second and ultimately successful impeachment attempt, ousting Yoon as president.

“I wanted nothing more than for this government to succeed,” Han tells the BBC, reflecting on the storm of condemnation that then followed from within his own party ranks.

“I initially sought an orderly early resignation plan for the president – a plan I earnestly pursued, but which ultimately failed,” he adds.

“I am deeply pained by the outcome and empathise with those who remain unconvinced and heartbroken. Nonetheless, I believe it was a necessary decision for South Korea’s continued progress and development.”

Yoon has been suspended from his presidential duties and is currently under investigation on insurrection charges. Han, meanwhile, stepped down as PPP leader in mid-December, maintaining that although Yoon’s impeachment was painful, he did not regret his decision.

In the two months that followed, Han says he took some time to “quietly reflect” on whether he could have done more during such a turbulent period for South Korea.

“And I wrote a book,” he adds: a memoir, titled “The People Come First”, which chronicles the two weeks following Yoon’s martial law declaration.

It’s no surprise the book has become a bestseller: after all, it claims to be a first-hand account of events that have already gone down as some of the most dramatic in South Korea’s political history. It hit shelves on 26 February, one day after the Constitutional Court held its final hearing on Yoon’s impeachment trial.

It also hints at Han’s future ambitions. Publishing a memoir is seen as a common first step in launching a political campaign in South Korea, and some believe “The People Come First” underscores Han’s hopes to run as the PPP’s presidential candidate, if the court impeaches Yoon and triggers a snap election.

Within the book’s 384 pages, Han also discusses the need for constitutional reform and suggests that if he were to become president, he would change South Korea’s five-year presidential term to four years.

Should he choose to run, the memoir serves to remind South Koreans where he stands on crucial issues – and that he is no longer an ally of a disgraced president.

As it stands, the odds look stacked against him. A recent poll found that Han’s approval rating to become the next president sat at 6% – a fraction of the 22% rating he scored in January 2024. The decline of his political fortunes is compounded by the critics within the PPP, who accuse him of failing to protect both his former party and the president.

But Han plays down the suggestion that his memoir is intended as a political tool.

“I have published a book in which I truthfully express what I experienced and thought during these events,” he tells the BBC. “I am not returning with any specific political manoeuvre, but simply to share that message with you all.”

Another message Han seems eager to share is one of contrition towards the people of South Korea. He doesn’t regret voting to impeach his president and former ally, he insists, but he does regret this.

“Yoon did impose martial law, and I believe that was a wrong act – one that does not align with the principles of liberal democracy,” he says. “As the leader of the ruling party that put that president in office, I want to express my deepest apologies to the people.”

“I am truly sorry that our actions, and the reactions we displayed, hurt the people. I think we must overcome and resolve this crisis.”

His ill-fated attempt to impose military rule plunged the country into an unprecedented political crisis and he becomes the first sitting president in South Korean history to be charged with a crime.

The indictment comes after a court in Seoul rejected a request to extend Yoon’s detention on Saturday, which meant prosecutors had to make a decision on whether to charge or release him before Monday.

“The punishment of the ringleader of insurrection now begins finally,” Han Min-soo, a spokesman from the main opposition Democratic Party told a press conference.

Separately, the Constitutional Court has begun deliberations on whether to formally dismiss Yoon as president or reinstate him.

The impeached president has largely refused to co-operate with the criminal investigation over the martial law declaration.

Yoon is set to stand trial along with his former defence minister and senior military commanders, who are accused of helping him plan and carry out the attempt to seize total power.

In an unprecedented televised announcement on 3 December, Yoon said he was invoking martial law to protect the country from “anti-state” forces that sympathised with North Korea.

At the time, the embattled leader was in a deadlock over a budget bill, dogged by corruption scandals and several of his cabinet ministers were under investigation.

The military announced all parliamentary activity was suspended and sought to impose controls on media outlets.

The opposition’s Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung urged people to protest at the National Assembly and asked his fellow lawmakers to immediately vote to repeal the order.

Less than two hours after Yoon’s declaration, 190 lawmakers who gathered – including some from the president’s party – voted unanimously to block it.

Soldiers equipped with rifles were seen entering the parliament building through smashed windows as a dramatic confrontation ensued.

Thousands of civilians gathered in front of the assembly and tried to block the soldiers.

Yoon was was impeached by parliament and suspended from his duties on 14 December.

The affair has triggered South Korea’s worst political crisis in decades and has polarised the country.

Many of his hard-line supporters have rallied around him. On Friday, tens of thousands gathered to protest, demanding he be released and returned to office.

If Yoon is removed from office, a presidential election would be held within 60 days.

The prosecutors’ office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Parliament voted to impeach Yoon last month, and last week the Constitutional Court began a trial to decide whether to permanently remove him from office.

Yoon is also facing a separate criminal investigation into whether he led an insurrection. He has been detained since last week.

Security was tight on Tuesday as Yoon was transported by van from the detention centre, where he is being held, to the Constitutional Court.

Police formed human walls and held up anti-riot barricades to stop hundreds of his supporters who had gathered nearby from getting too close. Last weekend saw violence as dozens of Yoon’s supporters clashed with law enforcers and broke into another court house.

On Tuesday, Yoon was asked if he had ordered military commanders to “drag out” lawmakers from parliament on the night he declared martial law, in order to prevent them from overturning his order.

He replied: “No.”

Military commanders had earlier alleged that Yoon had given such an order on 3 December, after lawmakers climbed fences and broke barricades to enter the parliament building and vote down Yoon’s martial law declaration.

“I am a person who has lived with a firm belief in liberal democracy,” Yoon said in his opening remarks on Tuesday.

“As the Constitutional Court exists to safeguard the constitution, I ask that you thoroughly examine all aspects of this case,” he told the judges.

During the hearing, which lasted nearly two hours, Yoon and his lawyers argued that the martial law order was “a formality that was not meant to be executed”.

Yoon had cited threats from “anti-state forces” and North Korea when he declared martial law, but it soon became clear that his move had been spurred not by external threats but by his own domestic political troubles.

The lawyers prosecuting the case, who were selected by the parliament, accused Yoon and his lawyers for making “largely contradictory, irrational, and unclear” comments.

“If they continue to evade responsibility as they did today, it will only work against them in the impeachment trial and cause even greater disappointment among the public,” the prosecutors told reporters after the hearing.

Shortly after the court’s decision was announced at about 3am on Sunday (18:00 GMT on Saturday), his supporters swarmed the building, overwhelming riot police trying to keep them at bay.

Yoon last week became the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested as he faces allegations of insurrection related to his stunning, short-lived December 3 declaration of martial law that has plunged the country into political turmoil.

Footage showed protesters blasting fire extinguishers at lines of police guarding the front entrance, before they flooded inside, destroying office equipment and furniture.

Yoon and his lawyers appeared before the court’s judge during a hearing on Saturday and argued for his release. His arrest could mark the beginning of an extended period in custody for him, lasting months or more.

He faces potential rebellion charges linked to his declaration of martial law on December 3, which set off the country’s most serious political crisis since its democratisation in the late 1980s.

The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with the police and the military, can now extend his detention to 20 days, during which they will transfer the case to public prosecutors for indictment.

Yoon’s lawyers could also file a petition to challenge the court’s arrest warrant.

The leader is expected to continue to be held in a solitary cell at the Seoul Detention Centre.

“President Yoon Suk Yeol and our legal team will never give up,” lawyers representing Yoon, who called the criminal probe invalid, said in a statement.

“We will do our best in all future judicial procedures to correct the wrong,” the lawyers said, adding that the violence at the court was an “unfortunate” incident.

Yoon’s conservative People Power Party (PPP) called the court’s decision a “great pity”.

“There’s a question whether repercussions of detaining a sitting president were sufficiently considered,” the party said in a statement.

But the main opposition Democratic Party called the court’s approval of the warrant a “cornerstone” for rebuilding order and said “riots” by “far-right” groups would only deepen the national crisis.

Support for the PPP collapsed after his martial law declaration, which he rescinded hours later in the face of a unanimous vote in parliament rejecting it. Lawmakers impeached Yoon on December 14, suspending his presidential powers.

“The Joint Investigation Headquarters executed an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol today [January 15] at 10:33 am [01:30 GMT],” the authorities said in a statement on Wednesday, making Yoon the first South Korean president to be arrested while still in office.

In  a prerecorded video message released after his arrest, Yoon said he had made the decision to submit to questioning over his failed martial law bid to avert “bloodshed”.

“I decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Office,” Yoon said, adding that he did not accept the legality of the investigation but was complying “to prevent any unfortunate bloodshed”.

South Korean investigators and police used ladders to climb into Yoon’s residential compound after they were initially blocked by the Presidential Security Service, which barricaded the entrance using vehicles, according to reports.

Thousands  of people, including supporters, had gathered outside Yoon’s home, while a group of lawmakers from the governing conservative People Power Party and Yoon’s lawyers had also attempted to prevent the arrest inside the residential compound, the reports said.

After  the arrest, Yoon’s presidential motorcade was seen leaving his hillside residence with police escorts. A vehicle apparently carrying Yoon later arrived at the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials in the nearby city of Gwacheon.

The standoff at Yoon’s presidential residence came just hours after he failed to appear for the first hearing in his impeachment trial over his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.

Patrick Fok, reporting for Al Jazeera from Seoul, said an estimated 1,000 police officers were involved in the arrest operation at the president’s residence and Yoon would now face questioning.

“The corruption investigation office can hold him for a maximum of 48 hours. They then need to decide, at that point, whether or not to apply for a warrant to detain the president,” Fok said.

“It is not clear whether or not that will be necessary, but of course, it has been very difficult to get to this point,” he said.

Yoon was not present at the opening of his impeachment trial on Tuesday and South Korea’s Constitutional Court had said that they needed him to be present, Fok said.

“Now  that he has been arrested, perhaps he will show up in court tomorrow,” he added.

The operation on Wednesday was the second attempt by investigators to arrest Yoon. An earlier failed attempt ended after an hours-long standoff with his security team inside the presidential compound at the beginning of January.

Since then, Yoon had remained inside his hillside villa in Seoul for weeks in an effort to evade arrest. He also failed to show up for his impeachment trial on Tuesday morning, leading to the hearings being adjourned minutes after they had begun.

The impeached president’s lawyers had said that he would not attend the impeachment hearing, adding that he would be prevented from expressing his position freely due to ongoing attempts to detain him by authorities.

The trial is being held after South Korea’s National Assembly voted on December 14 to impeach Yoon over his imposition of martial law in a surprise late-night address on December 3, 2024.

After first rising to public prominence as chief prosecutor of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye on charges of corruption in 2017, Yoon took office in May 2022.

The hearing ended within four minutes because of Yoon’s absence – his lawyers had earlier said he would not attend for his own safety, as there is a warrant out for his arrest on separate charges of insurrection.

In December, Yoon was suspended after members of his own party voted with the opposition to impeach him.

However he will only be formally removed from office if at least six of the eight-member Constitutional Court bench votes to uphold the impeachment.

According to South Korean law, the court must set a new date for a hearing before they can proceed without his participation.

The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday.

Yoon’s lawyers have indicated that he will show up for a hearing at an “appropriate time”, but they have challenged the court’s “unilateral decision” on trial dates.

The court on Tuesday rejected the lawyers’ request for one of the eight justices to be recused from the proceedings.

Yoon has not commented publicly since parliament voted to impeach him on 14 December and has been speaking primarily through his lawyers.

Investigators are also separately preparing for another attempt to arrest Yoon for alleged insurrection, after an earlier attempt on 3 January ended following an hours-long standoff with his security team.

Yoon is South Korea’s first sitting president to face arrest. The second attempt to take him into custody could happen as early as this week, according to local media.

The suspended leader has not commented publicly since parliament voted to impeach him on 14 December and has been speaking primarily through his lawyers.

Yoon’s short-lived martial law declaration on 3 December has thrown South Korea into political turmoil. He had tried to justify the attempt by saying he was protecting the country from “anti-state” forces, but it soon became clear it was spurred by his own political troubles.

What followed was an unprecedented few weeks which saw the opposition-dominated parliament vote to impeach Yoon and then Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who succeeded him briefly as acting president.

The crisis has hit the country’s economy, with the won weakening and global credit rating agencies warning of weakening consumer and business sentiment.

Former presidents Roh Moo-hyun and Park Geun-hye did not attend their impeachment trials in 2004 and 2017 respectively.

In Park’s case, the first hearing ended after nine minutes in her absence.

Roh was reinstated after a two-month review, while Park’s impeachment was upheld.

Yoon’s salary will increase by 3% to 262.6 million won ($179,000; £147,000), in line with the standard for government officials.

Since his impeachment in December, Yoon has resisted attempts to investigate and arrest him for alleged insurrection and abuse of power, placing the country deeper in political turmoil.

While suspended from his duties, Yoon remains in office until South Korea’s constitutional court upholds his impeachment.

Yoon cited threats from “anti-state forces” and North Korea to justify his martial law declaration. However, it soon became clear that his move had been spurred not by external threats but by his own domestic political troubles.

News of Yoon’s salary increase has drawn criticism among South Koreans, some of whom say they cannot believe he is still getting paid – let alone getting a increment – while he is suspended.

Some on social media pointed out that the Yoon’s 3% salary rise is nearly double the increase in the country’s minimum wage.

“Minimum wage increased by 1.7% while [Yoon gets] 3% for what?” reads a post on X which has received thousands of likes.

Earlier this month, Yoon’s security blocked investigators from reaching him at the presidential residence. The stalemate saw an initial arrest warrant expire at midnight on 7 January, but a local court extended it.

Investigators are preparing for another attempt to arrest Yoon and have requested assistance from the police.

On Monday, authorities said any attempt to arrest Yoon would make sure to avoid “any casualties or bloodshed”. They also warned that security staff and lawmakers could be arrested if they obstruct the arrest.

Yoon’s lawyers said assigning police officers and investigators to arrest the president was “a betrayal of the public”. They have claimed that the arrest warrant was “illegal”.

They also demanded that personnel on the arrest team not wear a mask to “prevent rioters from breaking into a national secret site and impersonating police officers”.

In the capital Seoul, thousands have joined large-scale protests, both in support of and against Yoon.

While his critics want to see the disgraced president impeached and arrested over his martial law attempt, Yoon supporters see his short-lived martial law order as justified to protect the South Korea’s democracy.

Han Duck-soo, who became acting president after Yoon’s impeachment but has since been impeached by parliament himself, will also see his annual salary increase by 3% to 204 million won ($138,000; £114,000).

For comparison, the US president is paid $400,000 (£329,000) and the UK Prime Minister’s salary is around £172,000 ($209,000).

Protesters both for and against Yoon gathered in sub-zero conditions along major roads in the centre of the country’s capital on Saturday, either demanding his arrest or calling for his impeachment to be declared invalid.

Yoon has been resisting arrest in a standoff between his guards and investigators last week, after his failed December 3 power grab plunged South Korea into its worst political crisis in decades.

On Friday, Park Chong-jun, Yoon’s chief of security, resigned from his post after being investigated for blocking the embattled president’s arrest. Park warned that any further efforts to detain the ex-leader must avoid violence.

He told reporters that the current attempt to arrest Yoon was wrong and that “there should not be any physical clash or bloodshed under any circumstances”.

On  Saturday, Park was again placed under questioning for blocking Yoon’s arrest.

The  country has bristled with tension for weeks after Yoon directed soldiers to storm parliament, where they unsuccessfully tried to prevent politicians from voting down martial law.

Since the failed martial law attempt, the parliament has impeached Yoon, and he has been suspended while awaiting a final decision from the constitutional court about his removal.

In the meantime, prosecutors carried out a separate investigation and had secured a court order for Yoon’s arrest and detention, which the presidential security defied. The arrest warrant expired on Monday.

Kim Seong-hun has taken over from Park as chief of Yoon’s security. He is expected to lead efforts to prevent the execution of a second arrest warrant. According to news reports, Yoon’s guards have reinforced his Seoul compound with barbed-wire installations and bus barricades.

The CIO said it will “prepare thoroughly” for its second attempt to arrest Yoon and warned that anyone obstructing them could be detained.

The National Office of Investigation, a police unit, has also sent a note to high-ranking police officials in Seoul requesting they prepare to mobilise 1,000 investigators for the new attempt, Yonhap news agency reported.

If Yoon is taken into custody, he would become the first sitting South Korean president to be arrested.

Anti-Yoon protester and student Kim Min-ji, 25, told the AFP news agency that the police and the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) have failed to act decisively.

Yoon’s security team, which stopped investigators arresting him on Friday, installed barbed wire and barricaded the compound with buses over the weekend, to prevent another attempt.

Yoon had ignored multiple summonses to appear for questioning on insurrection and abuse of power charges, before investigators showed up at his residence – only to call off their operation after a six-hour standoff with the presidential security service.

Investigators may try to extend their warrant. They told the BBC they have asked the police to execute it, in the hope their efforts carry more weight.

The police refused to take over the arrest warrant, saying on Monday that it was legally controversial and its execution should be left to anti-corruption investigators.

Public anger has spiralled in recent weeks, as thousands of protesters braved heavy snow over the weekend, both in support of and against Yoon.

South Korea has been in crisis for the past month, ever since Yoon tried to impose martial law citing a threat from the North and “anti-state forces”. The fallout continues as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Seoul, seeking to stabilise ties ahead of a Donald Trump presidency.

Time has almost run out for the investigators leading the criminal case against Yoon.

Yoon’s lawyers have claimed that his arrest warrant was “illegal” as the anti-corruption investigators did not have the authority to oversee a case as serious as insurrection.

The presidential security team has cited this as a reason for blocking Yoon’s arrest – along with the fact that Yoon remains a sitting president until the constitutional court rules on his impeachment.

“For the PSS, whose primary mission is the absolute safety of the president, to comply with the execution of an arrest warrant amidst ongoing legal disputes would be tantamount to abandoning its duty,” security service chief Park Jong-joon said on Sunday.

Mr Park denied accusations that his team was serving as a “private militia” for Yoon.

Yoon’s lawyers, who on Monday filed complaints against investigators over the arrest attempt, said Yoon has been “practically detained in his residence”.

They also filed an injunction against the warrant, which was rejected by the court, and then said they were considering appealing the decision.

Meanwhile, acting president Choi Sang-mok has resisted the opposition’s calls to sack key security officials obstructing the arrest.

The BBC understands that opposition lawmakers had asked investigators to try arresting Yoon again, but “more firmly and with sufficient means”.

Investigators could also apply for a new detention warrant, which has to be approved by a judge. That would allow Yoon to be detained for up to 20 days, while an arrest warrant only allows him to be held for 48 hours.

But without a change to either the situation or their approach, it seems unlikely investigators or police will be able to make the arrest.

As seen last Friday, they may again be blocked by the presidential security service which formed a “human wall” to protect Yoon.

He himself has vowed to “fight to the end”, dividing public opinion and spurring on his supporters, who have been demonstrating for days outside his home.

The tense standoff has also raised urgent questions about the robustness and effectiveness of South Korea’s political and legal institutions.

The situation also has consequences beyond domestic politics.

Up until last month, the Biden administration had sung Yoon’s praises, delighted by his willingness to work with Washington to tackle the security threats posed by North Korea and China. The US put a lot of effort into helping South Korea repair its strained relations with Japan, so the three countries could address these issues together.

Mr Blinken’s ongoing visit to Seoul, where he will meet South Korean foreign minister Cho Tae-yul on Monday, therefore comes at a difficult time for these two allies.

Yoon did not tell the US about his plans to impose martial law, meaning Washington did not have the chance to dissuade him and was unprepared for the chaos that ensued.

Blinken will not want to be drawn on the current political situation. He will instead want to focus on preserving the trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Washington and Tokyo beyond Biden’s tenure.

Speaking during a joint presser on Monday, Blinken said the US had “full confidence” in South Korea’s institutions, and reaffirmed the US government’s “unwavering support for the Korean people as they work tirelessly to uphold those institutions”.

“Over the past four decades Korea has written one of the most powerful, inspiring democratic stories in the world,” Blinken said.

Korea’s democracy has been tested in recent weeks – just as American democracy has faced challenges throughout our history. But you are responding by demonstrating your democratic resilience.

But it’s hard to disentangle the domestic and geopolitical situations. South Korea could be months away from electing a new president, and that leader may well want to break with Yoon’s foreign policies.

Trump, who enters the White House in a fortnight, will also pursue his own agenda.

The warrant comes after Yoon, who is being investigated for abusing his power and inciting an insurrection, ignored three summonses to appear for questioning over the past two weeks.

Yoon’s legal team has called the warrant “illegal and invalid” and said they would challenge it in court.

South Korea has been in political crisis since the short-lived martial law declaration, with Yoon and a successor both impeached by the opposition-dominated parliament.

Yoon is South Korea’s first sitting president to face arrest.

Investigators have until 6 January to execute the warrant that was approved by a court in the capital Seoul, and can request an extension.

It is unclear, however, if investigators will be able to execute the warrant as they may be thwarted by his security team and protesters.

The presidential security service had earlier blocked investigators from entering the presidential office grounds and Yoon’s private residence to conduct court-approved searches.

In the past, South Korean authorities have given up arrest attempts against prominent politicians after their aides and supporters have physically blocked the police.

On Monday, Yoon’s legal team said that investigators had no authority to arrest him, as declaring martial law was within the president’s constitutional authority.

Yoon had earlier defended his decision to declare martial law and vowed to “fight to the end” – though he also said that he would not avoid his legal and political responsibilities.

His lawyer, Yun Gap-geun, said that Yoon’s failure to comply with the earlier three summonses was due to “legitimate concerns”.

Yoon’s whereabouts are not publicly known, but he has been banned from leaving the country.

While he has been suspended from presidential duties since 14 December after lawmakers voted to impeach him, he can only be removed from office if his impeachment is upheld by the country’s constitutional court.

There are currently only six judges on the constitutional court’s nine-member bench. This means a single rejection would save Yoon from being removed.

Opposition lawmakers had hoped the nomination of three additional judges would improve the odds of Yoon getting impeached, but their proposal was vetoed by prime minister Han Duck-soo last week.

The opposition has since then voted to impeach Han, who had stepped in as acting leader after Yoon was suspended.

Now, they are threatening to do the same to finance minister Choi Sang-mok, who currently serves as both acting president and acting prime minister.

On Tuesday Choi appointed two new judges but said a third would require consensus among opposition and governing parties.