The U.S. secretary of state aimed to show that his country stood by South Korea as it grapples with a political crisis, and as Donald J. Trump returns to power.

South Korean investigators will seek an extension of a warrant to arrest impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol, as the visiting US Secretary of State reaffirmed confidence in the key Asian ally's handling of the political turmoil.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday opened a visit to crisis-riven South Korea, where he will seek delicately to encourage continuity with the policies, but not tactics, of the impeached president.

For weeks, impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has remained in his compound and refused to respond to detention and search warrants.

Lawyers of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking Officials (CIO) probing his short-lived martial law decree on Dec. 3 are at odds over whether the CIO has the authority to arrest and pursue criminal charges against him.

South Korea's police have been asked to arrest suspended president Yoon Suk Yeol, the Yonhap news agency reported on Monday. Dozens of investigators working for the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) attempted to execute a court warrant for Yoon's detention on Friday after he ignored three summonses for questioning over his botched attempt to impose martial law on December 3.