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South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was indicted on charges of organising an insurrection related to his brief declaration of martial law last year, has been freed from detention after prosecutors decided not to appeal a court decision cancelling his arrest, foreign media reported.
According to CNN, Yoon was seen bowing to supporters, who were waving Korean and US flags, as he walked out of the detention center, following Seoul Central District Court’s order on Friday cancelling his arrest warrant on technical and legal grounds.
“I would also like to express my deep gratitude to the many citizens who have supported me despite the cold weather, as well as to our future generations,” CNN quoted Yoon as saying in a statement after his release.
The Seoul Detention Center confirmed to the publication that they received a letter from the Seoul prosecutors’ office ordering his release.
He, however, remains suspended from his duties and will still have to face the ongoing criminal and impeachment trials, the report said.
Yeol, the first sitting South Korean president to be indicted while in detention, was taken into custody on January 15 by the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) over his December 3 declaration of martial law. He was officially arrested on January 19.
Since the CIO lacks the authority to indict a sitting president, the case was transferred to the prosecution.
The prosecution team investigating the case said they had reviewed the evidence, and based on the comprehensive review, it was determined that indicting the defendant was appropriate, Yonhap reported.
Yoon is accused of conspiring with former Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun and others to incite an insurrection by declaring martial law. He is also alleged to have ordered the deployment of military forces to block a parliamentary vote that sought to repeal the decree.
Last month, the CIO handed over its investigation into President Yoon’s alleged attempt to impose martial law to the prosecution, urging that he be charged with insurrection and abuse of power.
The CIO had said that it transferred all related investigation materials, totaling over 30,000 pages compiled into 69 volumes.
On 14 December 2024, Yoon was impeached by the National Assembly over his attempt to impose martial law in the country. The members of the unicameral National Assembly had voted 204 to 85 to impeach the president.
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