Yvette Tan
Live editor

It's been a chaotic day in Seoul. If you're just tuning in now, here's a recap of what happened over the past few hours

• Before the sun rose over Seoul today, a large number of police officers had been deployed to Yoon's residence in anticipation of his arrest. Meanwhile, a crowd of pro-Yoon protestersgathered to block his arrest
• Around 10:00 local time, the arrest team managed to make their way past a military unit inside Yoon's compound, but were then blocked by Yoon's presidential security service

• After a few hours of impasse, investigators halted their attempt to reach Yoon, saying that the "sustained standoff" made the arrest "practically impossible" - adding that they were met by a "human wall" of around 200 people
• The failed arrest attempt is likely to embolden Yoon's supporters, who banded together to block Yoon's arrest
• The chief of the presidential security service, who was picked by Yoon, has now been indicted for obstruction of justice, say reports
• It's not clear what might happen now, but investigators have until 6 January to execute the arrest warrant

We're pausing our live coverage for now, but you can read more about what happened today here. Today's live coverage was brought to you by myself, Ayeshea Perera, Koh Ewe and Kelly Ng reporting from Singapore, Jay Savage and Tiffanie Turnbull from Sydney, and Jean Mackenzie and Jake Kwon reporting from Seoul.

Image source, EPA-EFE

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

This is a remarkable situation unfolding.

This is totally uncharted territory for South Korea. It is the first time a sitting president has ever faced arrest, so there is no rule book.

When the President was impeached three weeks ago, he was supposedly stripped of his power.

So, the fact that you have law enforcement officers trying to carry out an arrest, which they have warrant for, and yet they are being blocked by Mr Yoon’s security, raises serious questions about who is in charge here.

There is also a question about what powers the acting President has, and whether he could and should be forcing the security team to allow this arrest.

The opposition party says police should in the future arrest anyone who stands in their way.

They can keep trying to arrest Yoon until 6 January, which is when the warrant runs out. But it is unlikely they will go in again without changing their strategy or negotiating something with the security team in advance.

Another consideration is the throngs of Yoon supporters gathered outside his residence, threatening to block the arrest themselves.

As the weekend approaches, these crowds are going to grow.

Image source, Getty Images

Park Jong-joon, chief of the presidential security service, as well as his deputy, have been indicted for the obstruction of justice, according to local media reports.

The police said that they were unable to execute Yoon's arrest warrant because of the security service's "illegal" obstruction.

Police have requested for the pair to appear for questioning tomorrow.

Earlier, we reported that Park had been appointed to the job by the president in September.

The opposition Democratic Party floor leader Park Chan-dae also said today that anyone who obstructed the arrest attempt should be arrested too.

The Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) has said they were unable to execute the arrest warrant after they were met with a "wall" of around 200 soldiers and presidential security personnel, according to Yonhap news.

More than 10 buses and passenger cars had blocked the path to the presidential residence and about 200 security officers and soldiers had built a human wall, making it impossible to enter the building, said the CIO.

"There were discussions to allow access to the official residence, and three inspectors went up to the front of the residence," said one investigator.

"We decided to stop the execution due to safety concerns over the fact that there were far more people gathered than we could handle."

The Office further indicated there were various "small and large scuffles" as they tried to arrest Yoon.

Yuna Ku
Reporting from Seoul

Image source, Getty Images

Today's development was not entirely unexpected, as President Yoon had ignored three summonses to appear for questioning, which is ultimately what led to the issuance of an arrest warrant earlier this week.

The president’s legal team have consistently called the warrant illegal, arguing that investigators lack the authority to detain him. And as a former chief prosecutor, Yoon would likely be familiar with any legal loopholes that might exist.

Investigators say it will take time to review and decide on the next steps. However, it is possible that they will make another arrest attempt before the warrants expires next Monday - though it's unclear if they may attempt this over the weekend, when crowds will be bigger.

If necessary, investigators have the option to request an extension or reissue the warrant.

We've heard relatively little from Yoon directly over the past month, but earlier this week he wrote a letter to the supporters trying to block the execution of the arrest warrant.

“I am watching on YouTube live all the hard work you are doing,” Yoon wrote in the letter, which was read aloud to the crowds outside his residence late on Wednesday, and a photo of which was sent to Reuters.

"I will fight until the end to protect this country together with you."

The opposition Democratic Party, which led the push to impeach the president, said the letter proved Yoon was delusional and remained committed to completing his "insurrection".

"As if trying to stage insurrection wasn’t enough, he is now inciting his supporters to an extreme clash," party spokesman Jo Seoung-lae said in a statement.

"I think Yoon's supporters will grow more emboldened the longer this standoff lasts," Sung-Yoon Lee, global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, tells BBC News.

As we reported earlier, protesters camping outside Yoon's residence broke out in cheers, exclaiming "we won!" after investigators said they were halting their attempt to arrest Yoon.

While the disgraced president has managed to avoid arrest today, "Yoon's detractors and critics will be more condemnatory of President Yoon, accusing him of being unstatesmanlike, hiding behind this compound and his bodyguards," says Lee.

The impasse is set to last for the next several weeks, if not months, Lee believes, adding: "I'm sure there will be another attempt in due course."

The interim leader of South Korea's ruling party, Kwon Young-se, has welcomed the suspension of the arrest attempt, calling it a relief.

During a press conference, the People Power Party head said it was unjustified and must not be attempted again. The investigation into Yoon must be conducted without arresting him, he said.

With the arrest warrant not set to expire until 6 January, it's unclear what happens next. The Corruption Investigation Office could try again another day.

As we reported earlier, this isn't an entirely unexpected outcome - authorities have previously been unable to arrest other lawmakers, thanks to party members and supporters blocking police until time runs out.

In 2004, Democratic Party leader Han Hwa-gap avoided arrest over illegal political donation allegations, and in 2000, officials tried to arrest then Grand National Party member Jeong Hyeong-geun four times - though he ended up appearing for questioning voluntarily.

Fan Wang
BBC News, Singapore

Park Jong-joon, the chief of the presidential security service (PSS) and former ruling party politician, was appointed to the job by Yoon in September.

The PSS was the team responsible for blocking the arrest of the president Yoon Suk Yeol today - with Park earlier rejecting the arrest team's request to search the residence, citing the Presidential Security Service Act.

In South Korea, many have been searching "Who is Park Jong-joon?", with Google seeing a 1,000% rise in searches for this question.

Prior to his current job, 60-year-old Park served as the deputy commissioner general of the National Police Agency under former President Lee Myung-bak and deputy head of the PSS under former President Park Geun-hye. He had also run for the National Assembly twice as a candidate from Yoon's party, but both campaigns were unsuccessful.

Image source, Getty Images

We're now seeing visuals of the arrest team walking out of the presidential compound.

As we mentioned earlier,officials must detain Yoon before the current arrest warrant expires on 6 January - if not, they will have to apply for a new warrant again.

In a statement to reporters, investigators said they "judge that the arrest is practically impossible to carry out due to sustained standoff".

"We are concerned for the safety of the team on the ground," they said, adding that next steps will be decided after a review. "We find the attitude of the accused who refused the legal process...deeply regrettable".

Meanwhile, pro-Yoon supporters outside his residence are dancing and cheering. They're chanting: "We won!"

The Corruption Investigation Office has said that it is stopping the arrest attempt of Yoon after deeming it impossible, according to local media reports. We'll bring you more on this as soon as we have it.

It's currently just past 13:30 in Seoul, where an arrest team has been in a standoff with President Yoon Suk Yeol's presidential security team for some four hours. If you're just joining us now, here's a quick look at what you need to know.

• A team made up of dozens of police officers and members of the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) are attempting to execute a warrant for Yoon's arrest - but have been hindered by the president's security team

• Pro Yoon supporters had gathered outside the compound chanting slogans in support of Yoon and had vowed to block his arrest
• The arrest team have not made any arrests for obstruction, according to Yonhap

• Yoon's lawyer has described the arrest warrant as "illegal" and says they will challenge it - they have now entered his residential compound
• A court issued the arrest warrant earlier this week after Yoon failed to appear for questioning multiple times. Officials must detain Yoon before the current warrant expires on 6 January - if not, they will have to apply for a new warrant again

Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates.

Image source, Getty Images

North Korean state media has said the South is in a state of "political chaos", as investigators attempt to arrest its impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.

"A detention warrant was issued for the president, paralysing state affairs and further deepening social and political chaos," said the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

South Korean news outlet Yonhap said the report was an attempt to point out the North's comparative stability.

Threats from North Korea sympathisers had been cited by Yoon as the reason behind declaring martial law.

But despite the mention, North Korea was conspicuously silent, taking a week before even mentioning the South's political turmoil - ironically, in North Korea's first report of Yoon's martial law saga, state media accused Yoon of trying to run a "fascist dictatorship".

You can also watch the drama in Seoul unfold in real time by pressing the play button at the top of this page.

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

Image source, EPA-EFE

Supporters of Yoon have been outside the presidential residence for hours, with many chanting in support of Yoon. But one slogan in particular stands out: "Stop the steal".

This is a common refrain used by US president-elect Donald Trump and his supporters alleging voter fraud in the 2020 presidential race.

In a similar vein, some of Yoon's supporters have latched onto the idea that the parliamentary elections last year, in which the opposition won by a landslide, were rigged - something that Yoon alluded to in his martial law declaration.

Both the election committee and Supreme Court have dismissed this claim as baseless.

But this idea has really taken hold among Yoon's supporters over the past month. They also don't trust mainstream media, denouncing it as fake news.

We're seeing that Yoon's legal team has entered the compound of Yoon's residence.

His lawyer Yoon Gab-keun had earlier said that they would take legal action over the arrest warrant, which they have called "illegal and invalid".

Image source, Reuters

It's just passed noon in Seoul, but it's been a dramatic day already.

Here's a brief recap of what's happened so far, and what could happen next.

Earlier we reported that the arrest team in the presidential compound was being blocked by Yoon's security service, which is tasked with protecting the president.

But Chun In-bum, retired commander of South Korea's special forces, told the BBC that the arrest team is likely to negotiate a way to get access to Yoon.

"It's a very difficult situation for everybody. The secret service, their mandate is quite clear but at the same time they know in their hearts this is not the legal thing to do," he said, speaking to Newsday.

"I'm just hoping that there will be no violence."

Sydney Seiler, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies also told Newsday that while the tensions outside the presidential residence may be shocking for people watching around the world, "there is still a lot of reason to be optimistic that this will resolve itself without the use of force".

"But President Yoon is not going to not give in easily," he adds.