South Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday over insurrection accusations related to his Dec 3 martial law declaration, investigators said.

A motorcade was seen leaving the gates of his hillside residence where Mr Yoon has been holed up for weeks behind barbed wire barriers and a small army of personal security.

Earlier, more than 3,000 police officers and anti-corruption investigators had gathered there before dawn, pushing through throngs of Yoon supporters and members of his ruling People Power Party protesting attempts to detain him.