South Korean investigators tried to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over his failed martial law bid, using ladders to enter his residence compound after clashes broke out when his guards blocked the main gate.

Yoon has resisted arrest since a short-lived December 3 power grab plunged the country into its worst political crisis in decades, after he directed soldiers to storm parliament in an unsuccessful attempt to stop lawmakers from voting down his move.

The former star prosecutor, who has already been suspended from duty by lawmakers, would become the first sitting president in South Korean history to be arrested if the court-ordered warrant is carried out.

"The execution of the presidential arrest warrant has begun," acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement.

"This situation is a crucial moment for maintaining order and the rule of law in South Korea."

In a morning of high drama, a joint team of investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) and police officers tried to enter the residence's compound but were blocked by........

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