South Korea’s impeached President Yoon released from prison
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Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waves to supporters upon release from detention in Uiwang, March 8, 2025.
South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from prison on Saturday after a Seoul court canceled his arrest, allowing him to stand trial for rebellion without being detained. His release comes amid ongoing political turmoil following his martial law decree that led to his impeachment.
As Yoon left prison, TV footage captured him waving, clenching his fists, and bowing deeply to his supporters, who chanted his name and waved South Korean and US flags. He then boarded a black van to travel to his presidential residence in Seoul. In a statement issued through his lawyers, Yoon expressed gratitude for the Seoul Central District Court’s decision, calling it a correction of legal wrongs. He also thanked his supporters and urged those on hunger strike against his impeachment to end their protest.
Yoon was arrested and indicted in January over his December 3 martial law decree, which plunged South Korea into political crisis. The liberal opposition-controlled National Assembly later voted to impeach him, leading to his suspension from office. The Constitutional Court is currently deliberating whether to formally remove him or reinstate him. If the court upholds the impeachment, a national election must be held within two months to elect a successor.
On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court accepted Yoon’s request for release, citing concerns over the legality of the investigations against him. His lawyers argued that the investigative agency that detained him lacked legal authority to probe rebellion charges. The court also noted that his legal detention period had expired before his indictment.
Yoon’s release was confirmed after prosecutors chose not to appeal the court’s decision. Under South Korean law, prosecutors can continue to hold a suspect while pursuing an appeal, even after a court cancels the arrest. The opposition Democratic Party, which led Yoon’s impeachment on December 14, condemned the prosecutors’ decision, calling them “henchmen” of the former prosecutor general. Party spokesperson Cho Seung-rae urged the Constitutional Court to remove Yoon quickly to prevent further public unrest.
The controversy surrounding Yoon’s martial law decree intensified when he deployed hundreds of troops and police officers to the National Assembly after placing the country under military rule. Some senior military and police officials testified that Yoon ordered them to forcibly remove lawmakers to prevent a parliamentary vote on the decree. Yoon defended his actions as a move to maintain order. However, lawmakers ultimately managed to convene and voted unanimously to overturn the decree.
Investigators have accused Yoon of rebellion, a charge that could result in the death penalty or life imprisonment if he is convicted. While Yoon enjoys presidential immunity from most criminal prosecutions, it does not extend to serious charges like rebellion and treason.
In his defense, Yoon claimed that his martial law decree was not meant to be long-term but was intended to expose what he called the dangers of the Democratic Party, which he accused of obstructing his policies and impeaching senior officials. In his announcement, Yoon referred to the National Assembly as “a den of criminals” and “anti-state forces.”
South Korea remains deeply divided along conservative and liberal lines, with protests both supporting and opposing Yoon’s impeachment filling the streets of Seoul. Experts warn that regardless of the Constitutional Court’s final ruling, the political divide in the country is set to deepen.
With PTI inputs