President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea, impeached due to a controversial martial law declaration, has been released from detention after a court canceled his arrest warrant. He remains suspended from office as he faces impeachment and criminal trials. Photo credit: AP News
(The Post News)- South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, whom lawmakers impeached for his contentious declaration of martial law, has been released from custody following the prosecutor’s decision not to appeal a court order invalidating his arrest warrant. Yoon, who remains suspended from exercising his presidential duties, remains under both criminal indictment and impeachment trial.
Yoon was seen leaving the Uiwang detention center on Saturday with cheering fans waving both South Korean and American flags. He bowed in appreciation in front of the crowd, thanking them for their unwavering support despite the cold weather. “I also would like to deeply thank the numerous citizens who have supported me and also our future generations,” Yoon said after his release.
The release of Yoon follows Friday’s ruling by the Seoul Central District Court, which ordered his arrest warrant canceled on legal and technical grounds. The Seoul Detention Center confirmed that they received a letter from the Seoul prosecutor’s office to release Yoon. The court ruling is a top-level moment in a legal battle that has rocked the country.
Yoon has been detained under arrest since January on the charge of rebellion for his disputed move in December 2023. His December 3 decree caused nationwide chaos when he suspended political processes and deployed troops into the heart of South Korea’s democracy. The measure was quickly repealed in six hours when lawmakers raided parliament and approved voting unanimously against the decree.
Since then, the president has been impeached by South Korea’s National Assembly, and Yoon now awaits notification from the Constitutional Court as to whether he will be permanently ousted or reinstated. The ruling on his impeachment is to be handed down in the next few weeks.
Despite being released, Yoon’s legal issues are far from over. He still has to endure continuous criminal trials, separate from the impeachment trial. The case has divided the country, with his defenders claiming that the charges are political and his opponents believing that his actions destabilized South Korea’s constitutional order.
South Korea’s main opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung reacted to the court ruling by saying that it does not exonerate Yoon of the charge that he “overthrew the constitutional order by unconstitutional military coup.”
Yoon will sit out at home awaiting the impeachment trial for now, and the nation holds its breath in anticipation of the forthcoming decisions regarding his fate.
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