SEOUL (Kyodo) -- South Korean investigators requested an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday over his short-lived imposition of martial law, ahead of the deadline for the move later in the day.

The country's anti-corruption agency, which is leading the probe into Yoon's alleged insurrection due to his Dec. 3 declaration of martial law, said it filed the request at the Seoul Western District Court. The arrest warrant enables the detention of the president for up to 20 days.

If Yoon, who was detained on Wednesday after ignoring three summonses from a joint investigation team, is formally arrested, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials is expected to continue its investigation and send the case to prosecutors for indictment.

Staging an insurrection is punishable by up to life imprisonment or the death penalty under South Korean law.

The anti-corruption agency summoned Yoon for questioning on Friday, but he refused, the agency said. He had also declined to appear the previous day, citing health reasons.

On Wednesday, Yoon, the first sitting South Korean president to be detained by authorities, was taken to the agency's headquarters for questioning and held at a detention center outside Seoul.

The president's defense team requested the Seoul Central District Court to review the legality of his detention, but the court rejected the request on Thursday, allowing him to remain in custody.