South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, is set to walk free from detention on Friday after a court accepted his legal team’s plea to annul his arrest warrant, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Yoon’s lawyers had challenged the legitimacy of his detention, arguing that the prosecution had delayed his indictment for too long. They also claimed that the arrest warrant, issued on January 19, was procedurally flawed, rendering his detention unlawful. The Seoul Central District Court has now ruled in his favor, though an official statement from the court was not immediately available.
“This proves that South Korea’s rule of law remains intact,” Yoon’s legal team stated, as reported by broadcaster YTN.
The embattled leader first stirred controversy on December 3 when he declared martial law, justifying it as a necessary measure to eliminate “anti-state” elements. However, the decree was lifted merely six hours later after parliament swiftly rejected it. Despite this, the opposition-led National Assembly moved to impeach him weeks later, arguing that his actions were a violation of his constitutional responsibilities.
Adding to his legal troubles, Yoon was arrested on criminal charges on January 15, becoming the first sitting South Korean president to face such a fate. While the impeachment process unfolds, he is also preparing to defend himself in a separate criminal trial. His release does not mark the end of his legal battles, but it does set the stage for a high-stakes courtroom showdown in the months ahead.