Yoon Suk-yeol is defiant as the detention deadline approaches

South Korea's suspended president, Yoon Suk-yeol, remains defiant in his newly fortified residence, with an arrest warrant issued for him. The martial law order is short-lived Scheduled to expire on Monday.

Leon's security team, which prevented investigators from arresting him on Friday, installed razor wire and barricaded the compound with buses over the weekend to prevent another attempt.

Yoon had ignored several summons to appear for questioning on charges of rebellion and abuse of power, before investigators showed up at his residence – only to call off their operation after a six-hour standoff with the presidential security service.

Investigators may try to extend the arrest warrant. They told the BBC they had asked the police to implement the order, hoping their efforts would carry more weight.

Public anger has escalated in recent weeks, as thousands of protesters braved heavy snow over the weekend, both in support of and against Yoon.

South Korea has been witnessing a crisis since last month, since Yoon tried to impose martial law under the pretext of a threat from the North and “anti-state forces.” The fallout continues as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Seoul, seeking to stabilize relations ahead of a Donald Trump presidency.

The investigators leading the criminal case against Yoon have almost run out of time.

Yoon's lawyers claimed that the arrest warrant issued against him was “illegal” because anti-corruption investigators did not have the authority to supervise a case as serious as the mutiny.

The presidential security team has cited this as a reason to prevent Yoon's arrest – along with the fact that Yoon will remain a sitting president until the Constitutional Court rules on his impeachment.

“For the Preventive Security Service, whose primary mission is the absolute safety of the president, complying with the implementation of the arrest warrant amid ongoing legal disputes would be tantamount to abandoning its duty,” Security Service Chief Park Jong-joon said on Sunday.

Park denied accusations that his team was acting as a “private militia” on behalf of Yoon.

Yoon's lawyers, who on Monday filed complaints against investigators over the attempted arrest, said Yoon was “practically detained in his home.”

They also filed an injunction against the arrest order, which the court rejected, and then said they were considering appealing the decision.

Meanwhile, acting President Choi Sang-mok has resisted opposition calls to dismiss key security officials obstructing the arrest.

The BBC has learned that opposition lawmakers have asked investigators to try to arrest Yoon again, but “more firmly and with sufficient means.”

Investigators can also apply for a new arrest warrant, which must be approved by a judge. This would allow Yoon to be detained for up to 20 days, while the arrest warrant only allows him to be held for 48 hours.

But without changing the situation or their approach, it seems unlikely that investigators or police will be able to arrest him.

And as we saw last Friday, they may be blocked again by the presidential security service, which has formed a “human wall” to protect Yoon. He himself has pledged to “fight to the end,” dividing public opinion and motivating his supporters who have been demonstrating outside his home for days.

The confrontation is also tense It raised urgent questions On the strength and effectiveness of South Korea's political and legal institutions.

This situation also has consequences that go beyond domestic politics.

Until last month, the Biden administration was praising Pyon, pleased with his willingness to work with Washington to address security threats posed by North Korea and China. The United States has made a great deal of effort to help South Korea mend its tense relations with Japan, so that the three countries can address these issues together.

Therefore, Blinken's ongoing visit to Seoul, where he will meet with South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol on Monday, comes at a difficult time for these two allies.

Yoon did not tell the United States about his plans to impose martial law, meaning Washington had no opportunity to dissuade him and was unprepared for the chaos that followed.

Blinken will not want to talk about the current political situation. He will instead want to focus on maintaining trilateral cooperation between Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo after Biden's term ends.

Speaking during a joint press conference on Monday, Blinken said the US has “full confidence” in South Korea’s institutions, and reaffirmed the US government’s “steadfast support for the Korean people and is working tirelessly to support those institutions.”

“Over the past four decades, Korea has written one of the most powerful and inspiring stories of democracy in the world,” Blinken said.

Democracy in Korea has been tested in recent weeks – just as American democracy has been challenged throughout our history. “But you are responding by demonstrating your democratic flexibility.”

But it is difficult to separate internal and geopolitical situations. South Korea may have several months before a new president is elected, and that leader may want to break with Yoon's foreign policies.

Trump, who will enter the White House in two weeks, will seek to implement his own agenda.

Additional reporting by Hosoo Lee and Lihyun Choi in Seoul