SEOUL - South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol has been released from prison a day after a court cancelled his arrest warrant.
Footage aired on local TV channels showed Yoon leaving prison on Saturday, waving his hand and bowing deeply to his supporters. Despite the release, Yoon’s criminal and impeachment trials continue over his short-lived imposition of martial law on December 3.
His lawyers said the court decision “confirmed that the president’s detainment was problematic in both procedural and substantive aspects”, calling the ruling the “beginning of a journey to restore rule of law”.
In a statement, Yoon, who remains suspended from official duties, thanked the court for what he described as “their courage and determination in correcting the illegality”.
Yoon’s team filed the request to cancel his arrest warrant with the Seoul Central District Court last month, pleading it was illegal. He was arrested in January on insurrection charges.
On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court said it accepted Yoon’s request to be released from prison, citing the need to address questions over the legality of the investigations on the president.
Early on Saturday, South Korean prosecutors confirmed they had not appealed Yoon’s release.
“The Emergency Martial Law Special Investigation Headquarters has sent a release order for President Yoon to Seoul Detention Center today,” the prosecution said in a statement on Saturday, according to local media outlet Yonhap.
Investigators allege that Yoon’s brief martial law decree amounted to rebellion. If he is convicted of that offence in his criminal trial, he would face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
A constitutional court is also expected to decide separately in the coming days whether to reinstate or remove Yoon from the presidency.
‘Throwing people into crisis’
On Saturday, some 55,000 Yoon supporters rallied in Seoul’s main districts, while 32,500 people demonstrated against him near the Constitutional Court, Yonhap news agency reported.
A Gallup Korea poll on Friday revealed that 60 percent of respondents want Yoon to be removed from office.
The main opposition Democratic Party criticised the prosecutors’ decision, saying it was “throwing the country and people into crisis”, and urged the Constitutional Court to remove Yoon from office as soon as possible.
Before the prosecutors’ decision, hundreds of Yoon supporters also protested in front of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office.
What happens next?
Legal experts say that while Friday’s decision by the district court was not a vindication for Yoon, it did raise questions about the integrity of the indictment and touched on legal issues that do not have a clear precedent.
If “questions about the legality of the investigation process” are not cleared up, it may become grounds for a higher court to overturn any trial court ruling, the Seoul Central District Court said in its statement.
Arguments ended in Yoon’s separate impeachment trial last week.
If Yoon is removed, a new presidential election would be held within 60 days. I aje
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