South Korea’s Impeached President Yoon Released as Investigation Continues

By Staff, Agencies

Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from detention on Saturday after a court ruled that his arrest was procedurally flawed.

However, he remains under investigation over his controversial declaration of martial law.

Yoon, who was detained in a January raid on insurrection charges related to his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, walked out of the detention center smiling and bowed deeply to a small group of cheering supporters.

"I bow my head in gratitude to the people of this nation," Yoon said in a statement through his lawyers.

His release came after a court voided his arrest warrant on legal and technical grounds, a decision prosecutors criticized as "unjust." However, they chose not to appeal, stating they would instead "actively present their case in trial court."

Yoon also faces a separate ruling from the Constitutional Court, which will determine whether to uphold his impeachment and officially remove him from office. If the court rules against him, South Korea will have to hold a new presidential election within 60 days.

Despite his release, the criminal investigation against him will continue. His legal team welcomed the court’s decision, calling it a "restoration of the rule of law."

After his release, Yoon returned to the presidential residence, where hundreds of supporters gathered to greet him.

Opposition leaders condemned the ruling, with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung vowing at a rally to "fight until the insurrection is over."

The crisis erupted in December when Yoon briefly suspended civilian rule and deployed soldiers to parliament, an action lawmakers swiftly overturned before impeaching him. He was later charged with insurrection for declaring martial law without proper justification.

The impeachment trial has largely focused on whether Yoon’s actions violated the South Korean Constitution, which limits martial law to wartime or national emergencies. His defense team argued that he took the step to prevent "legislative dictatorship" by the opposition.

Yoon initially resisted arrest for two weeks, prompting a tense standoff between his security detail and investigators at his official residence before he was taken into custody on January 15.

With the Constitutional Court’s ruling expected soon, the political future of South Korea remains uncertain.