The trial of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was set to start on Tuesday with oral arguments over his short-lived bid to impose martial law which threw the country into the worst political chaos in decades.

The Constitutional Court, an arbiter in a polarized nation, is about to consider whether Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment for declaring martial law was justified.

The top aide of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has pleaded with law enforcement to abandon their efforts to detain him over last month’s martial law imposition, as authorities prepared a second attempt to take him into custody.

South Korea looks set for a dramatic political showdown this week as impeachment proceedings kick off against suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol, who remains holed up in his fortified residence evading arrest for a separate criminal investigation.

South Korea will begin a trial on Tuesday to decide if President Yoon Suk Yeol will be permanently removed from office after his shocking martial law declaration.

Yoon's salary will increase by 3% to 262.6 million won ($179,000; £147,000), in line with the standard for government officials. Since his impeachment in December, Yoon has resisted attempts to investigate and arrest him for alleged insurrection and abuse of power,

South Korea's impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, will not attend the first hearing of the trial to determine whether he is removed him from office or reinstated, due to concerns about his safety, Yonhap News reported on Sunday,