South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was freed from prison on Saturday after a court canceled his arrest to allow him to stand trial for rebellion without being physically detained.
This comes after Yoon was arrested and indicted by prosecutors in January over his martial law decree on Dec. 3 — leading to political turmoil in the country — that the National Assembly voted to reverse just hours later. The National Assembly also voted to impeach him, resulting in his suspension from office.
Yoon was seen on Saturday waving his hand, clenching his fists and bowing to his supporters who were shouting his name and waving South Korean and U.S. national flags. He entered a black van to travel to his residence in Seoul.
In a statement, Yoon said he ‘appreciates the courage and decision by the Seoul Central District Court to correct illegality,’ in what appeared to be a reference to questions over his arrest. He also thanked his supporters and urged people who are on hunger strike against his impeachment to end it.
The Constitutional Court has been deliberating whether to formally dismiss or reinstate Yoon as president. If the court upholds his impeachment, an election for a new president will be held within two months.
The Seoul Central District Court said Friday it accepted Yoon’s request to be freed from prison, pointing to the need to address questions over the legality of the investigations of the president.
Yoon’s lawyers have argued that the investigative agency that detained him prior to his formal arrest lacked legal authority to probe rebellion charges.
The court in Seoul also said the legal period of his formal arrest expired ahead of his indictment.
Yoon’s release from prison came after prosecutors opted against appealing the ruling by the Seoul Central District Court. South Korean law allows prosecutors to continue to hold a suspect in custody as they pursue an appeal, even after the arrest is canceled by a court.
The main liberal opposition Democratic Party, which led Yoon’s impeachment in December, criticized the prosecutors for their decision not to appeal, labeling them as ‘henchmen’ of Yoon, who is a former prosecutor general.
Democratic Party spokesperson Cho Seung-rae called on the Constitutional Court to dismiss Yoon as soon as possible to avoid further public unrest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.