A new attempt to arrest South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is under way, six weeks after his short-lived attempt to impose martial law.
A pre-dawn standoff – watched by thousands of pro- and anti-Yoon protesters – is in place outside the official residence between authorities and the president’s security service.
Amid the furore, one person who collapsed has been transported away from the scene by the fire department, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency said.
Police are trying to access the hillside villa and detain Mr Yoon – but doing so is, once again, proving difficult.
Security staff fortified the building ahead of the latest arrest attempt, creating a “barrier” inside the gates by parking buses and large vehicles against them at about 5am on Wednesday local time (8pm Tuesday, UK time).
Mr Yoon’s lawyer Yoon Kab-keun, who was carrying papers, could be seen talking to investigating officials in front of the residence, while some ruling party lawmakers formed a human chain to block them.
After attempting to breach the barricades at the front of the compound, officials are now trying to access the residence from the back, according to local media.
The standoff is taking place in front of protesters both for and against the South Korean president. Many of his supporters are waving glowsticks and singing.
A previous attempt by law enforcement to detain the impeached president failed earlier this month.
Mr Yoon’s presidential security service prevented dozens of investigators from arresting him after a standoff lasted nearly six hours on 3 January.
After the authorities’ first attempt at detaining the president, new barbed wire and additional barriers were installed at the property.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials and police responded by pledging more forceful measures to detain Mr Yoon while they jointly investigate whether his martial law declaration on 3 December amounted to an attempted rebellion.
The National Police Agency convened multiple meetings of field commanders in Seoul and nearby Gyeonggi province in recent days to plan their detainment efforts, and the size of those forces fuelled speculation that more than 1,000 officers could be deployed in a possible multi-day operation.
Anti-corruption agency and police officials met representatives of the presidential security service on Tuesday morning for unspecified discussions regarding efforts to execute the detention warrant for Mr Yoon.
It was not immediately clear at the time if any kind of compromise was reached.
What happened on 3 December?
Mr Yoon declared martial law and deployed troops around the National Assembly at the beginning of last month.
It lasted only hours before politicians managed to get through the blockade and voted to lift the measure.
His presidential powers were suspended when the opposition-dominated assembly voted to impeach him on 14 December, accusing him of rebellion.
Mr Yoon has argued his declaration of martial law was a legitimate act of governance, calling it a warning to the main liberal opposition Democratic Party which he has described as “despicable pro-North Korean anti-state forces”.
He claimed the party used its legislative majority to impeach top officials and undermine the government’s budget.
Over the past two weeks, thousands of anti-Yoon and pro-Yoon protesters have gathered daily in competing rallies near his office in Seoul, in anticipation of the second detention attempt.