SEOUL, Dec 31 (BBC): A court in South Korea has issued an arrest warrant against suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol over his attempt to impose martial law on 3 December.
The warrant comes after Yoon, who is being investigated for abusing his power and inciting an insurrection, ignored three summonses to appear for questioning over the past two weeks.
Yoon's legal team has called the warrant "illegal and invalid" and said they would challenge it in court.
South Korea has been in political crisis since the short-lived martial law declaration, with Yoon and a successor both impeached by the opposition-dominated parliament.
Yoon is South Korea's first sitting president to face arrest. Investigators have until 6 January to execute the warrant that was approved by a court in the capital Seoul, and can request an extension.
It is unclear, however, if investigators will be able to execute the warrant as they may be thwarted by his security team and protesters.
The presidential security service had earlier blocked investigators from entering the presidential office grounds and Yoon's private residence to conduct court-approved searches.
In the past, South Korean authorities have given up arrest attempts against prominent politicians after their aides and supporters have physically blocked the police.
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