The police are investigating whether President Yoon Suk Yeol tried to lead an insurrection when he declared martial law and plunged the country into crisis.

South Korea's government trimmed its economic growth forecasts for 2025 amid political turmoil following President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law decree. Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance said on Thursday that it now projects a growth rate of 1.

By Eduardo Baptista, Hyunsu Yim and Joyce Lee SEOUL (Reuters) -Authorities sought on Friday to execute an unprecedented arrest warrant for impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, evading a crowd of protesters that faced off with police outside his residence and vowed to block any attempt.

A report by prosecutors said the country's then-prime minister, foreign minister and finance minister all expressed reservations the night of the decision.

According to North Korean state media, South Korea’s state has been “paralyzed,” with the country experiencing “spiraling socio-political confusion.” These comments from Pyongyang followed a prolonged political crisis in South Korea triggered by the Dec. 3 declaration of martial law and the subsequent impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol.

It was unclear when and how police could make the arrest and whether the presidential security service, which has blocked access by investigators with a search warrant to Yoon's office and official residence,

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile into the sea at the same time the top United States diplomat was holding meetings in the South Korean capital, Seoul. South Korea’s military said the missile was launched eastward at about noon (03:00 GMT) shortly after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok.

South Korean investigators trying to arrest suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol said they would seek an extension to an arrest warrant that expires today.

South Korean anti-graft investigators on Monday asked police to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol after he fended off their week-long efforts to bring him into custody over his failed martial law bid.

Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae has distanced himself from South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol’s party after a photo of him with the party’s ex-leader resurfaced online, according to Korean media.

North Korea has launched an intermediate-range ballistic missile towards the sea to its east, marking its first missile test in two months, according to South Korea's military. The missile traveled approximately 1,100 kilometres before falling into the sea. South Korea strongly condemned the launch, calling it a "clear act of provocation."