Yoon Suk Yeol’s compound is barricaded with vehicles and barbed wire as hundreds of supporters rally to his cause

LAWYERS for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol denounced efforts to detain him over his short-lived imposition of martial law, while the country’s acting leader warned today of a possible clash between police officers and the president’s security personnel.

South Korean authorities have granted a request to extend a warrant to detain the country’s suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his surprise declaration of martial law last month.

The Seoul Western District Court extended Yoon’s arrest warrant, which expired on Monday, according to the country’s anti-graft agency. The agency’s chief Oh Dong-woon apologised earlier in the day for the failure to arrest Yoon, due to his security forces strong resistance, and vowed to arrest him in the second attempt.

As impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol fights for his political survival, the embattled leader has found an ally among young conservative men. Park Byeong-heon, 25, was a crowd favourite at a pro-Yoon rally on Sunday,

Thousands of people have braved freezing temperatures and snow to protest both for and against South Korea's president outside his residence in Seoul. A warrant was last week issued for the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol over the short-lived marital law decree he issued in early December 2023.

View near South Korean president’s residence where protesters demand arrest of Yoon Suk Yeol View from surveillance camera near the South Korean president's official residence where rival protesters in support of and against suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol have gathered.

Investigators failed to take Yoon Suk Yeol into custody following a standoff with the presidential security service last week.