Impeached South Korean President Yoon released from detentio
Impeached South Korean President Yoon released from detention
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from jail on Saturday who was detained over his failed bid to impose martial law in December
SEOUL — Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from
jail on 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 Centre, 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.
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 January 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. January
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.
"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, Yonhap news agency reported.
In contrast, the main opposition Democratic Party
strongly criticised 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 February 25.
