A South Korean court has approved the arrest of a Samsung heir accused of bribery and other charges in connection to a massive corruption scandal.

The Seoul Central District Court's decision to arrest Lee Jae-yong, a vice chairman at Samsung Electronics and the only son of Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee, will likely shock the business community.

Prosecutors can detain him for up to 20 days before formally indicting him.

He avoided arrest in January when the court dismissed the prosecutors' request.

The special prosecution team, conducting the probe that led to the impeachment of the country's president, said they have gathered more evidence to strengthen their case.

The court also said the country's laws do not allow administrative lawsuits between state organisations.

The opposition-controlled parliament in December voted to impeach Park amid suspicions that she helped her friend extort money and favours from companies and allowed the woman to manipulate state affairs.

Prosecutors also want to question Park in person over the allegations, but have not yet determined when and how.

The Constitutional Court, which will decide whether Park should permanently step down or be reinstated to office, said on Thursday that it will close arguments on February 24, which indicates the ruling could come in early March.

If Park is formally unseated, a presidential election must be held within 60 days.