A standoff between rival government forces outside the presidential compound in South Korea is a startling development, even for observers used to the country’s famously rough and tumble politics

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.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to South Korea on Monday as an affirmation of continued support for the East Asian country as it struggles to navigate a historic constitutional crisis.