S. Korean investigators confront security service agents in attempt to arrest President Yoon

SEOUL -- A group of South Korean investigators confronted the presidential security service agents for over two hours on Friday in an attempt to arrest the impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to multiple media outlets.

The prosecutors and investigators with the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) faced the third and last cordon of the security service inside the presidential residence in central Seoul after breaking through the second cordon of soldiers.

The chief of the security service, which protects the president at the closest range, rejected the CIO's calls to search the residence for the execution of a warrant to arrest Yoon that was issued by a Seoul court on Tuesday.

After passing through the first cordon of police officers, the investigators walked into a road at the residence's main gate around 8:02 a.m. local time (2302 GMT Thursday).

The CIO warned earlier that if the security service blocks the arrest, it would be a crime of obstruction of justice.

About 2,700 riot policemen were reportedly deployed to the residence to help proceed with the arrest warrant.

The CIO has been investigating Yoon's martial law imposition jointly with the National Office of Investigation (NOI) and the defense ministry's investigation headquarters.

Yoon, who was named by investigative agencies as a suspected ringleader on an insurrection charge, declared a martial law on the night of Dec. 3 last year, but it was revoked by the National Assembly hours later.

The impeachment motion against Yoon was passed in the National Assembly on Dec. 14 and was delivered to the constitutional court to deliberate it for up to 180 days, during which Yoon's power is suspended.