South Korea’s Impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol Released From Prison
Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from prison after a Seoul court overturned his arrest on technical grounds.
Yoon walked out of prison on Saturday, March 8, KST, and was greeted by his enthusiastic supporters, who cheered while waving the South Korean and US flags. Though he has been released, he will still face trial on charges of insurrection.
Yoon was arrested in January after a raid at the presidential palace and indicted by prosecutors for his martial law decree in December that sparked massive political turmoil in the country. The National Assembly voted to impeach him, leading him to be suspended from his office. The Constitutional Court is still deliberating whether to dismiss or reinstate him officially.
Yoon spent 52 days in custody before the Seoul Central District Court accepted his request for release on March 7, KST, citing the need to validate the legality of the investigations against him. Yoon’s lawyers claim that the investigative agency that detained him before his formal arrest had no legal authority to investigate the insurrection charges. The court also stated that the legal period of his formal arrest had expired before he was indicted.
Yoon Suk Yeol is due to stand trial later this year for attempting to impose martial law. If convicted, he could reportedly face life in prison or even the death penalty.
You can read more about Yoon Suk Yeol’s arrest here:
