SEOUL, March 8 — South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol was released from detention on Saturday following a court ruling, 52 days after he was detained on charges of inciting an insurrection over his failed bid to impose martial law, Yonhap News Agency reported.
He was freed from the Seoul Detention Centre in Uiwang, just south of the capital, one day after the Seoul Central District Court accepted his request to cancel his arrest.
“I appreciate the court’s courage and determination in correcting the illegality,” Yoon told his legal team as he left the detention centre to the cheers of supporters and ruling People Power Party lawmakers.
He was freed shortly after Prosecutor General Shim Woo-jung accepted the court’s ruling to release the suspended president.
With his release, Yoon will be able to stand trial without physical detention.
On Friday, the court said it had 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 taken to send documents to a court for a review of whether to issue an arrest warrant, pushing back the deadline for Yoon’s detention to around 9am on January 26, whereas the prosecution indicted him shortly before 7pm that day, according to the court.
— Bernama
