South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who lawmakers voted to impeach and was indicted on criminal charges for declaring martial law last December, was cleared to be released from detention on Friday.
Yoon has been in detention since being arrested in January on charges of leading an insurrection – one of the few criminal charges the president does not have immunity from. However, the Seoul Central District Court on Friday canceled his arrest warrant, allowing for his release, according to a court ruling reviewed by CNN.
In its ruling, the court said it was questionable whether the insurrection charges indictment was filed after the defendant’s detention period had expired. It therefore canceled Yoon’s arrest warrant to “ensure procedural clarity and eliminate doubts regarding the legality of the investigation process,” it said.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who lawmakers voted to impeach and was indicted on criminal charges for declaring martial law last December, was cleared to be released from detention on Friday.
Yoon has been in detention since being arrested in January on charges of leading an insurrection – one of the few criminal charges the president does not have immunity from. However, the Seoul Central District Court on Friday canceled his arrest warrant, allowing for his release, according to a court ruling reviewed by CNN.
In its ruling, the court said it was questionable whether the insurrection charges indictment was filed after the defendant’s detention period had expired. It therefore canceled Yoon’s arrest warrant to “ensure procedural clarity and eliminate doubts regarding the legality of the investigation process,” it said.
Yoon’s criminal charges are separate from his impeachment trial. The country’s highest court, the Constitutional Court, is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to uphold his impeachment or reinstate Yoon to office.
Friday’s ruling means Yoon can now await the impeachment verdict from home instead of in detention.
His expected release will undoubtedly dismay the country’s opposition.
South Korea’s main opposition party leader Lee Jae-myung said: “Just because the prosecutors made a rudimentary calculation mistake does not eliminate the clear fact that President Yoon Suk Yeol destroyed the constitutional order through an unconstitutional military coup.”
“Insurrection is still happening, and overcoming it is our most important task right now,” Lee added.
Meanwhile, Yoon’s expected released will be celebrated by supporters, many of whom have regularly gathered outside his detention center since January.
Kwon Young-se, chairman of Yoon’s ruling People Power Party, welcomed the court’s decision on Friday, calling it “an important moment to confirm that the rule of law and justice of the Republic of Korea are alive.”
He added that he hoped the Constitutional Court “will make a fair and just ruling based solely on constitutional values” during the impeachment trial.