Mr Yoon is facing criminal charges of insurrection over his 3 December declaration of martial law that stunned South Korea and the world. The martial law decree, the country’s first in 40 years, ended after just six hours when the National Assembly voted to withdraw it, despite attempts by armed soldiers to prevent lawmakers from assembling.

A prolonged period of uncertainty over the fate of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the botched attempt to arrest him are giving oxygen to his backers and reviving support for his troubled party.