South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol was released from a Seoul detention center on Saturday, according to the Yonhap news agency. The day before, a court had lifted the arrest warrant against him. Yonhap reported that President Yoon arrived at the detention center’s main gate and greeted his supporters.
After his release, Yoon is said to have thanked the judges for their “courage and determination” in correcting the alleged legal wrongdoings. He then reportedly got into a security service vehicle and was driven to his residence.
President Yoon was arrested in mid-January on charges of abuse of power and instigation, despite efforts by his supporters to block the authorities’ access to his residence. The authorities ultimately executed the arrest warrant and Yoon filed an appeal against the charges in the previous month, maintaining that they were unlawful.
In a surprise move, Yoon had declared a state of emergency on December 1, only to lift it a short time later following massive protests and a parliamentary vote. The parliament subsequently initiated an impeachment process against Yoon, who is now suspended from office pending a Supreme Court decision. The court is expected to rule on the matter by mid-March.