SOUTH KOREAN AUTHORITIES have requested a court warrant to formally arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Yoon was spending his third day at a detention centre after his lawyers failed in a last-minute effort to secure his release after he was arrested in a massive law enforcement operation at his residence.

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

The warrant for Yoon’s detention, which was issued to compel him to face investigations after he repeatedly ignored summons by law enforcement, was valid until 9.05pm on today (12.05pm GMT). But he will remain in custody as a Seoul court deliberates whether to put him under formal arrest.

If Yoon is arrested, investigators can extend his detention to 20 days, during which they will transfer the case to public prosecutors for indictment.

Attempting to break through legislative gridlock, Yoon imposed military rule and sent troops to the National Assembly and election offices, but the stand-off lasted only hours after legislators who managed to get through a blockade voted to lift the measure.

The opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December.

A court-ordered arrest could lead to an extended period in custody for the conservative president, who faces both criminal charges and a Constitutional Court ruling in the coming weeks that will determine whether he is dismissed or reinstated to office.