A previous attempt to detain Yoon, which his lawyers have argued is illegal and designed to publicly humiliate him, was called off on Jan 3 after a six-hour standoff with his presidential security agents and military guards.
“As I have repeatedly emphasised the need for prevention of physical conflict between state agencies … I will sternly hold those responsible if unfortunate events occur,” Acting President Choi Sang-mok said in a statement on Wednesday.
Yoon’s declaration of martial law stunned South Koreans and plunged one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies into an unprecedented period of political turmoil.
The arrest warrant is the first ever issued against an incumbent South Korean president.
