South Korea's Impeached President Released

South Korean prosecutors released impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol from detention on Saturday, a day after canceling his arrest warrant.

"The Special Investigation Team for Martial Law has sent the order for President Yoon's release to the Seoul detention center today," a prosecutor said in a statement.

Yoon Suk-yeol left his detention center in Seoul today, and these developments came after prosecutors decided not to appeal the court's decision to cancel the arrest warrant for the impeached leader.

On December 3, 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol suddenly declared martial law, which lasted only a few hours. This action caused a political crisis, and on December 14, the parliament impeached him and temporarily suspended him from office. Following these developments, the Seoul Western District Court issued an arrest warrant for Yoon on December 31 on charges of abuse of power and plotting a rebellion.

After his arrest on January 15, 2025, Yoon's lawyers filed a motion to have the arrest warrant revoked due to a flaw in the prosecutor's request. The court granted the motion and revoked the arrest warrant.

This is the first time in South Korean history that a sitting president has faced such charges. The Constitutional Court must now decide whether to uphold or reject Yoon's impeachment.