South Korean law enforcement agencies have sought a court order to detain impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol as they investigate whether his December 3 brief martial law decree amounted to a rebellion.

The Office of High-Level Corruption Investigations, which is conducting a joint investigation with police and military authorities into the power grab, which lasted just a few hours, confirmed on Monday that it had requested a warrant. Investigators plan to question Yun on charges of abuse of power and sedition.

Yun has evaded several requests by the joint investigation team and prosecutors to appear for questioning and has also blocked searches of his offices.

It is not clear whether the court will uphold the order or whether Yoon could be forced to appear for questioning.

According to the country's laws, places with potential links to military secrets cannot be seized or searched without the consent of the person responsible, and Yun is unlikely to leave his residence voluntarily if he is detained.

Yun's presidency was suspended after the National Assembly voted to impeach him on December 14 over his imposition of martial law, which lasted only hours but sparked After weeks of political upheaval, stalled high-level diplomacy and rattled financial markets, Yun's fate now rests with the Constitutional Court, which has begun debating whether to impeach Yun formally or reinstate him.

Yun has defended the martial law as a necessary act of governance, characterizing it as a warning against the liberal opposition Democratic Party, which is thwarting its agenda with its majority in parliament.

Parliament also voted last week to impeach Prime Minister Han Dak-soo, who had taken over as acting president after Yoon was suspended for refusing to fill three vacant seats on the Constitutional Court before a review of Yoon's case.

The new interim head of the country is Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, who is also the Minister of Finance.