An employee presumed to belong to the Security Service's Anti-Terrorism Division patrols the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan District, Seoul, Jan. 13. Yonhap

The chief of staff for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday that Yoon should be guaranteed his right to defend himself, as the Constitutional Court is set to start a trial to decide on Yoon's fate over his short-lived martial law declaration.

Chung Jin-suk made the appeal for Yoon as the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) and the police were preparing for a second attempt to detain the embattled president.

"Please guarantee the right to self-defense, a fundamental right that all citizens of a liberal democratic republic should enjoy," the presidential chief of staff wrote in a statement.

The first attempt to detain Yoon failed on Jan. 3 due to a tense standoff between investigators and members of the presidential security service, with the impeached president refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.

Chung claimed Yoon is treated as if he were "a member of a South American drug cartel," saying the presidential office is prepared to engage in discussions with the CIO and police to arrange investigation procedures without detention.

"We are open to options, such as questioning the president at a third-party location or through a visit," he said.

Chung expressed concerns over the potential for clashes involving police forces, presidential security service personnel and Yoon's supporters during the second attempt to detain Yoon, who has been holed up at his fortified residence in Yongsan, central Seoul.

"Thousands of citizens are staying up all night in front of the presidential residence to protect the president," Chung said. "If a confrontation between the police and the citizens were to occur, it could lead to an unimaginable tragedy."

Yoon's defense team said he will not attend the first hearing of his impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday, citing concerns over his safety amid police preparations for his arrest. (Yonhap)