Yoon was brought into custody about three hours after hundreds of law enforcement officers entered the residential compound in their second attempt to detain him.

Yoon’s detention, after a tense standoff outside the presidential residence, marks the latest chapter in a bewildering series of events since his martial law decree.

Embattled president had been holed up for weeks while vowing to 'fight to the end' against the efforts to oust him.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has been detained after a massive law enforcement operation at the presidential compound that ended a weeks-long stand-off between his bodyguards and the country’s anti-corruption agency.

South Korean authorities arrested Yoon Suk Yeol over insurrection allegations, with the embattled leader saying he agreed to comply with what he called an illegal probe to avoid "bloodshed".

More forces are expected to join the operation to take Yoon Suk Yeol in for questioning after the last attempt was foiled by his large security team.

The development, which followed a failed arrest attempt earlier in January, deepens the fallout from his short-lived declaration of martial law last month.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers in South Korea have entered the residential compound of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol in the capital Seoul