SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has left the Seoul detention center where he was being held on a criminal case of violating t...
SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has left the Seoul detention center where he was being held on a criminal case of violating the constitution due to the events under martial law, the Yonhap news agency reported.
He was greeted by a large number of supporters at the main gate of the detention center. "First and foremost, I express my gratitude to the Central District Court for its courage and determination in correcting the illegality," the president said in a statement shared by his lawyers. Yoon Suk Yeol also thanked his supporters in a written statement.
Earlier on Saturday, the prosecution office authorized the release of the president. On March 7, the Seoul Central District Court found the arrest to be illegal, as the prosecutor's office was several hours late in filing formal charges. The court deemed that the prosecutor's office should have filed charges before 9 a.m. on January 26, rather than in the evening of that day. The prosecutor's office believed that the term should only be counted in days, not hours and minutes. The prosecution and the court were divided over the likelihood of evidence being destroyed.
Seok Dong-hyun, the president's lawyer, clarified on March 7 that the president could not be released as long as the prosecutor's office has the ability to file an appeal within 7 days. He also argued that this legal mechanism had been found to be unconstitutional.
On January 15, the Corruption Investigation Office for High-Ranking officials arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol at his residence in Seoul for insurrection against the constitutional order due to the events that took place under martial law. On January 19, the Seoul Western District Court ruled to take the head of state into custody. The same court issued the president's arrest warrant.
-News Feed
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