Yoon Suk Yeol has gone to ground but remained unrepentant as the crisis has rolled on, issuing a defiant message to his base days before an arrest warrant expires on Jan 6.

The liberal opposition Democratic Party, which drove the legislative vote that impeached Yoon Suk Yeol on Dec. 14 over his imposition of martial law, accused the president of trying to mobilize his supporters to block his detention and called for law enforcement authorities to execute the warrant immediately.

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was resisting arrest for a third day on Thursday after vowing to "fight" authorities seeking to question him over his failed martial law bid. The embattled leader issued the bungled declaration on December 3 that led to his impeachment and has left him facing arrest,