Settings

ⓕ font-size

  • -2
  • -1
  • 0
  • +1
  • +2

President Yoon released from detention

  • Facebook share button
  • Twitter share button
  • Kakao share button
  • Mail share button
  • Link share button
President Yoon Suk Yeol waves to his supporters as he leaves Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, March 8, as a court allowed his release 52 days after he had been detained over botched martial law. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol waves to his supporters as he leaves Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, March 8, as a court allowed his release 52 days after he had been detained over botched martial law. Yonhap

Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from jail Saturday, a day after a court's ruling that allowed him to stand trial without physical detention over his failed bid to impose martial law in December.

Waving to his supporters, Yoon walked out of the Seoul Detention Center, 52 days after he was detained on charges of inciting an insurrection. However, impeachment and criminal trials against Yoon will continue.

Yoon's release came shortly after Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung decided not to appeal the court's ruling to release the suspended president.

Bowing deeply to his supporters, Yoon arrived at his official residence in central Seoul on Saturday evening.

"I appreciate the court's courage and determination in correcting the illegality," Yoon said in a statement.

President Yoon Suk Yeol bows to his supporters as he leaves Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, March 8. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol bows to his supporters as he leaves Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, March 8. Yonhap

With his release, Yoon will be able to stand trial without physical detention.

On Friday, the court said it approved Yoon's request after determining that his Jan. 26 indictment on insurrection charges, which allowed his detention to be extended, had come hours after the initial detention period had already expired.

The 10-day initial detention period excludes the time documents were sent to a court for a review of whether to issue an arrest warrant, pushing back the deadline of Yoon's detention to around 9 a.m. Jan. 26, whereas the prosecution indicted him shortly before 7 p.m. that day, according to the court.

Yoon's legal team accused the prosecution of delaying Yoon's release, which came 27 hours after the court's decision.

President Yoon Suk Yeol shows his fist to his supporters as he arrives at his residence in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol shows his fist to his supporters as he arrives at his residence in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap

"The president's release is not just about addressing an individual's injustice, but the beginning of a difficult journey to restore the collapsed rule of law in this country," the team said in a release.

The ruling People Power Party welcomed Yoon's release and urged the Constitutional Court to take the court's decision into consideration in the impeachment trial.

"It is a just decision and the party hopes it serves as an opportunity to correct the distorted rule of law," party spokesperson Shin Dong-wook said in a statement.

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with one of his supporters as he arrives at his residence in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with one of his supporters as he arrives at his residence in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap

In contrast, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea strongly criticized the prosecution for exacerbating the nation's crisis with Yoon's release and called for the Constitutional Court to formally impeach him in its upcoming decision.

The top court is expected to decide whether to remove Yoon from office or reinstate him later this month after wrapping up hearings on Feb. 25. (Yonhap)

Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol wave the Korean flags outside his residence in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap

Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol wave the Korean flags outside his residence in Seoul, March 8. Yonhap



X
CLOSE

Top 10 Stories

go top LETTER