South Korean law enforcement official detained Wednesday over impeachment of President Yoon Seok-yeol his brief imposition Martial law was imposed last month.

In a video recorded before being escorted to the anti-corruption agency's headquarters, Yoon lamented that "the rule of law in this country has completely collapsed" but said he was complying with the detention order to prevent clashes between law enforcement agencies. officials and presidential security services.

A series of black SUVs, some equipped with sirens, were seen leaving the presidential palace under police escort. A vehicle apparently carrying Yoon later arrived at the Office of the Investigation into Corruption of Senior Officials in the nearby city of Gwacheon.

About three hours after hundreds of law enforcement officers entered the residential complex, Yin was detained on their second attempt He was detained over the imposition of martial law last month.

Yoon's lawyers tried to persuade investigators not to execute the detention order, saying the president would voluntarily appear in court for questioning, but the agency refused.

As police approached Mr. Yoon's residence, they did not appear to encounter substantial resistance from the presidential security forces, and no clashes were immediately reported.

Yoon has been holed up at his residence in Hannam-dong, the capital, Seoul, for weeks while vowing to "fight to the end" against efforts to deport him.

He defended his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law as a legitimate act of governance in response to an "anti-state" opposition using a legislative majority to thwart his agenda.

The anti-corruption agency is jointly investigating with the police and military whether Mr Yoon's martial law declaration amounted to an attempted rebellion and is seeking to detain him after he ignored multiple summonses. They promised stronger measures to detain the president after his security services blocked their initial efforts on January 3.

After an hour-long standoff at the compound's entrance, anti-corruption investigators and police were seen moving toward the compound up the hill. Police were earlier seen using ladders to climb over a row of buses placed by the presidential security service near the entrance to the compound.

Anti-corruption investigators and police later arrived at a metal door with a gold presidential logo near Yin's residential building. Some police officers were seen entering a security gate on one side of the metal door, and were joined by one of Yoon's lawyers and his chief of staff. Presidential security services later removed a bus and other vehicles parked tightly inside the gate as barricades.

Despite a court order to detain Yoon, the presidential security service insists it has an obligation to protect the impeached president and has blocked roads with barbed wire and rows of buses to fortify the compound.

Investigators may ask the court to authorize a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.

As tensions escalated, South Korea's acting leader, Vice Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, issued a statement early Wednesday urging law enforcement and the presidential security service to ensure "physical altercations" did not occur.

The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which pushed for a legislative campaign that led to Yin's impeachment on December 14, issued a statement calling on the president's security services to step down and cooperate with Yin's detention. Lawmakers from Yun's People's Power Party held a rally near the president's official residence to denounce his detention as illegal.

The National Police has held multiple meetings of field commanders in recent days in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi Province to plan their detention efforts, and the size of the forces has fueled speculation that a unit of troops could be deployed in the multi-day operation. More than a thousand police officers. The agency and police have publicly warned that presidential bodyguards who obstruct the execution of arrest warrants could be arrested.

Yoon's lawyers claimed that the detention order issued by the Western Seoul District Court was invalid. They cited a law that protects locations potentially related to military secrets and cannot be searched without the consent of the person in charge, namely Yin. The court's detention order for Yin is valid until January 21.

Yin's supporters and critics held competing protests near his official residence, with one side vowing to protect him and the other calling for his imprisonment, while thousands of police wearing yellow vests closely monitored the tense situation.

Yin declared martial law on December 3 and deployed troops around the National Assembly. It lasted only a few hours before lawmakers managed to break the blockade and vote to lift the measure.

On December 14, the opposition-led parliament voted to impeach Yin Zheng, accusing him of rebellion, and Yin Zheng's presidential powers were suspended. His fate now depends on the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to formally remove Yoon Eun-hye or dismiss the charges and reinstate him.

The Constitutional Court held its first formal hearing on the case on Tuesday, but the session lasted less than five minutes as Yin refused to attend. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday, and the court will continue the trial whether Yin attends or not.