Impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol remains in prison on Friday, despite a court decision to cancel his arrest warrant due to prosecutors’ delayed indictment. Yoon, who is also facing an impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court, will stay in detention until prosecutors respond to the court’s ruling.
On Friday, a South Korean court annulled the arrest warrant for the impeached president. However, Yoon’s release is uncertain as the prosecution is expected to appeal the decision.
Yoon’s legal team had requested the cancellation of the arrest warrant last month, arguing that his detention was unlawful because of the long delay in filing charges.
“It is reasonable to conclude that the indictment was filed after the defendant’s detention period had expired,” the Seoul Central District Court stated in its document.
The court added: “To ensure procedural clarity and eliminate any doubts regarding the legality of the investigative process, it would be appropriate to issue a decision to cancel the detention.” Despite the cancellation, Yoon’s lawyers emphasized that this does not guarantee his immediate release.
“Even if the court decides to cancel the detention, the defendant is not immediately released,” said Yoon’s lawyer, Seok Dong-hyeon.
“The defendant will be released only if the prosecutor waives the right to appeal or does not file an appeal within the prescribed period,” Seok clarified.
