A South Korean court on Tuesday upheld an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk-yeol, who was impeached and removed from power over his decision to impose martial law on Dec. 3, investigators said.

The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) confirmed that Seoul's Western District Court had approved a request by investigators probing the imposition of Yun's brief martial law.

This is the first arrest warrant for a sitting president in South Korea, local media reported.

The CIO did not comment on the court's reasoning for granting the arrest warrant. The court declined to comment.

It is still unclear when and how Yoon's arrest warrant will be carried out.South Korea's presidential security service said on Tuesday that the arrest warrant would be handled with due process.

The court also approved a search warrant for Yun's residence, the CIO said.

Police previously tried but failed to break into the president's office as part of the investigation, as presidential security blocked access.

Yoon faces a criminal investigation on possible sedition charges, one of the few charges for which the South Korean president does not have immunity.

Acting leader of South Korea's ruling People's Power Party, Kwon Seon-doong, said on Tuesday that an attempt to arrest the sitting president was inappropriate, Yonhap news agency reported.