This body seize from AFPTV video footage taken on March 8, 2025 exhibits impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol gesturing to his supporters exterior the Seoul Detention Heart in Uiwang. Yoon was launched from detention on March 8 after a court docket voided his arrest on procedural grounds—however he stays below investigation over his declaration of martial regulation. —Picture by Yong-Ju Shin/Agence France-Presse TV/Agence France-Presse
SEOUL, South Korea — Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was launched from detention on Saturday after a court docket voided his arrest on procedural grounds—however he stays below investigation over his declaration of martial regulation.
The suspended president, who was detained in a daybreak raid in January on rebellion expenses over his December 3 try to subvert civilian rule, walked out of the detention heart smiling, earlier than bowing deeply earlier than a small crowd of cheering supporters.
“I bow my head in gratitude to the folks of this nation,” Yoon mentioned in a press release launched by his legal professionals.
A court docket had cancelled his arrest warrant a day earlier on technical and authorized grounds—a call that prosecutors probing Yoon referred to as “unjust”.
READ: How Yoon Suk Yeol carries out politics from behind bars
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Yoon was freed after the prosecutors waived their proper to attraction the court docket verdict, which particularly involved technical particulars of his detention on felony expenses.
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Yoon additionally faces a separate Constitutional Court docket ruling on whether or not to uphold his impeachment and formally strip him from workplace, with the judges’ resolution anticipated any day.
Prosecutors mentioned that “given the Constitutional Court docket’s ruling and associated issues, the Prosecutor Common has instructed the staff to actively current its arguments earlier than the trial court docket as a substitute,” of interesting Yoon’s launch from detention.
South Korea should maintain a recent presidential election inside 60 days if Yoon is eliminated.
The felony case towards him will proceed even when he’s formally stripped of workplace.
“As a result of Yoon’s launch is said to the procedural features of his detention, it would don’t have any bearing on the Constitutional Court docket’s deliberation on his impeachment,” Yoo Jung-hoon, a lawyer and political columnist, advised AFP.
“Nonetheless, with social confusion and strife amongst Yoon’s supporters and protesters intensifying as a consequence of his launch, the court docket could really feel a higher must act swiftly,” he added.
‘Swift removing’
Yoon’s legal professionals, who had filed a request to cancel his arrest final month arguing his detention was illegal as a result of the prosecution waited too lengthy to indict him, hailed his launch.
“The president’s launch signifies the restoration of the rule of regulation,” his authorized staff mentioned in a press release.
Yoon obtained right into a convoy of automobiles and drove straight to the presidential residence, AFP reporters noticed, getting out of his automotive exterior the presidential compound to greet the a whole lot of cheering supporters ready exterior.
The opposition slammed the choice, with a Democratic Celebration spokesperson saying Yoon was performing “like a normal that has simply gained a battle. That is shameless habits from somebody who denies being indicted for main an rebellion.”
“The one method ahead now’s (Yoon’s) swift removing from workplace,” they mentioned, referring to the looming ruling by the Constitutional Court docket.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, plunged democratic South Korea into turmoil in December by briefly suspending civilian rule and sending troopers into parliament.
He has been charged with rebellion for his martial regulation declaration, which lawmakers voted down inside hours earlier than impeaching him.
The 64-year-old resisted arrest for 2 weeks, in a tense standoff between his safety staff and investigators at his official residence in Seoul. He was lastly taken into custody on January 15.
A lot of the impeachment trial has centerd on whether or not Yoon violated the structure by declaring martial regulation, which is reserved for nationwide emergencies or instances of warfare.
The opposition has accused him of taking the extraordinary measure with out correct justification.
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Yoon’s legal professionals have mentioned he declared martial regulation to alert the nation to the risks of “legislative dictatorship” by the opposition. —Agence France-Presse
