Hundreds of law enforcement officials in South Korea entered the residential compound of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday morning in the capital Seoul. It was their second attempt to detain him over his imposition of martial law last month.

The development, which followed a failed arrest attempt earlier in January, deepens the fallout from his short-lived declaration of martial law last month.

More forces are expected to join the operation to take Yoon Suk Yeol in for questioning after the last attempt was foiled by his large security team.

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean authorities investigating impeached President Yoon Seok Yeol were at his official residence on Wednesday to execute an arrest warrant over insurrection accusations related to his Dec. 3 martial law declaration, Yonhap said.

The top aide of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has pleaded with law enforcement to abandon their efforts to detain him over last month’s martial law imposition, as authorities prepared a second attempt to take him into custody.

South Korea looks set for a dramatic political showdown this week as impeachment proceedings kick off against suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, who remains holed up in his fortified residence evading arrest for a separate criminal investigation.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers in South Korea have entered the residential compound of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in the capital Seoul. It was their second attempt to detain him over his imposition of martial law last month.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested on Wednesday, an anti-graft agency investigating his Dec. 3 martial law attempt said in a statement. (Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Ed Davies g) Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

Police are gathering to execute a warrant to arrest Yoon, who was impeached last month after imposing martial law but has refused to cooperate with investigations.