People supporting President Yoon Suk Yeol hold a protest in front of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, Friday, as investigators attempt to detain Yoon over rebellion allegations stemming from his Dec. 3 martial law declaration. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Some 11,000 far-right conservatives packed the streets in front of the presidential residence in Seoul, Friday, to protest the investigative authorities' attempt to detain President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched martial law order.

The Yoon supporters' rallies there have grown larger since the National Assembly's passage of his impeachment motion on Dec. 14, and their so-called 'protection' of the embattled president is likely to continue as investigations and the Constitutional Court's impeachment trial continue.

After it was known that investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) arrived at the residence at around 7:24 a.m., conservative groups, including the New Freedom Union, occupied around 300 meters of the four-lane road in front of the president's residence, waving Korean and U.S. flags. American flags have become a symbol for the conservatives at rallies as they say the flag represents the Korea-U.S. alliance.

"Protect Yoon Suk Yeol! Way to go, the Presidential Security Service (PSS)," they shouted. "Nullify the impeachment," some cried, while many yelled, "Arrest Lee Jae-myung," referring to the main opposition party leader.

People supporting President Yoon Suk Yeol hold a protest in front of the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul, Friday, as the investigators attempt to detain Yoon over rebellion allegations due to his Dec. 3 martial law declaration. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

They shouted that the investigators' warrant was "illegal and invalid."

Police deployed 2,700 personnel to prevent possible clashes and maintain order in the area.

Among the rally participants were conservative YouTubers livestreaming during the protest, with some of them cheering to news that PSS guards arrested the CIO investigators, which was later proven false.

Investigators withdrew around 1:30 p.m. after an hourslong standoff with security guards. The protesters then shouted with joy, with some saying they would stay the night there as investigators might come again.

Investigators of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials withdraw from the presidential residence in Seoul, Friday, after the Presidential Security Service blocked them from executing a warrant to detain President Yoon Suk Yeol following an hourslong standoff. Yonhap

In the meantime, civic groups, who supported Yoon's impeachment, held rallies near the residence in the evening.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the two major umbrella unions, launched a two-day intensive protest there.

A coalition of 1,549 liberal civic groups also filed a complaint against the PSS chief with the National Police Agency's National Office of Investigation, accusing him of abuse of power, concealing an offender and interfering with public officials' ability to exercise their duties.

A coalition of civic groups hold a press conference in front of the National Police Agency in Seoul, Friday, to file a complaint against the head of the Presidential Security Service for interfering with the execution of detention warrants against President Yoon Suk Yeol. Yonhap

"The (PSS) interfered with the execution of detention warrants, just like the (presidential office's) last refusal to search and seizure," the group said. "The detention of Yoon is a legitimate investigation procedure without concerns on the infringement of military and official secrets," it added.

The minor opposition Rebuilding Korea Party also announced that it would file a complaint against Yoon, the chief and deputy chief of the PSS.

"Yoon Suk Yeol is interfering with the legitimate execution of public affairs by treating security agencies and military security forces as if they were soldiers of a military regime," Kim Sun-min, the party's acting chair, said.