A GROWING STORYTHE STORY IS DEVELOPING,
Yoon is expected to be the first president to be arrested in the country's history.
South Korean authorities have arrived at President Yoon Suk-yeol's residence to arrest the leader who has not been charged over his long-declared military defense.
Dozens of police and anti-corruption investigators stormed the gate of Yoon's compound in Seoul early Friday morning to issue an arrest warrant for him for imposing martial law on Dec. 3, which has plunged the East Asian nation into decades of political turmoil.
“The issuance of an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol has begun,” the high-level official corruption investigation office said in a statement.
It is unclear whether Yoon, who is being investigated on suspicion of treason and abuse of power, will cooperate with authorities seeking to detain him.
If arrested, the next leader would be the first president to be arrested in South Korean history.
If convicted of treason, they face harsh penalties, including life imprisonment and the death penalty.
Speculation about how long and how long the authorities will hold Yoon in custody has been rife since a Seoul court earlier this week granted the prosecutors' request for his arrest.
Yoon Kap-keun, Yoon's lawyer, on Friday said the document was illegal and invalid, adding that “legal action” would be taken following his execution.
Yoon's legal team on Thursday requested an injunction to block the document from the country's Constitutional Court, which is also debating whether to accept Yoon's impeachment or restore his presidential powers.
Yoon's security detail has previously barred investigators from conducting several investigations into the president.
In a mock New Year's message to supporters gathered outside his home, Yoon promised to “fight to the end to protect this country together with you.”
In freezing temperatures, thousands of Yoon's supporters have gathered outside in recent days to demand that the investigation be dropped and that his case be overturned.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol is protected by the people!” and “Illegal permission is legal” protesters chanted on Thursday.
Officials sent about 2,700 police officers and 135 police buses to the area to quell violence between protesters and anti-Yon supporters, state-run Yonhap News Agency reported.
Yoon, who served as a prosecutor before entering politics, has been suspended from his post since December 14, when the National Assembly. voted 204-85 for his suspension.
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok has served as president since December 27, when parliament voted to impeach Yoon's successor, Han Duck-soo, for refusing to fill three seats on the Supreme Constitutional Court.
The court has six months to hand down its decision, with at least six judges on the nine-member bench required to confirm that Yoon is not indicted and removed from office.