South Korean investigators on Friday were attempting to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law decree last month, as hundreds of his supporters gathered near his residence in Seoul, vowing to protect him.

About 20 investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police officers were seen entering the gate of Yoon’s residence in Seoul to execute a warrant for his detention.

It wasn’t clear whether the president would cooperate with authorities trying to detain him.

Yoon in a defiant New Year’s message to conservative supporters rallying outside his residence said he would “fight to the end” against “anti-state forces.”

His lawyers have described the warrant to detain him as “invalid” and “illegal.”

A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention on Tuesday after he evaded multiple requests to appear for questioning and blocked searches of his office in Seoul, hindering an investigation into whether his ill-conceived power grab on December 3 amounted to rebellion.

The warrant is valid for one week, and investigators may make another attempt to detain Yoon if they are unable to do so on Friday. (AP)