South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol left a detention centre in Seoul on Saturday, after prosecutors decided not to appeal a court decision to cancel the arrest warrant of the impeached leader.

Yoon remains suspended from his duties and under insurrection charges over his short-lived martial law imposition on December 3. The criminal case is separate from his impeachment trial, in which the Constitutional Court is expected to decide in coming days whether to reinstate him or remove him from office.

“First of all, I would like to thank the Central District Court for their courage and determination in correcting the illegality,” Yoon said in a statement.

His lawyers said the court decision “confirmed that the president’s detainment was problematic in both procedural and substantive aspects,” calling the ruling the “beginning of a journey to restore rule of law”.

Prosecutors could not immediately be reached for comment.

In Yoon impeachment trial, the Constitutional Court is expected to decide in coming days whether to reinstate him or remove him from office.

The Seoul Central District Court cancelled Yoon’s arrest warrant on Friday, citing the timing of his indictment and “questions about the legality” of the investigation process.

Yoon, the first South Korean president to be arrested while in office, has been in custody since January 15.

On Saturday, Some 38,000 Yoon supporters rallied in Seoul, while 1,500 people demonstrated against him, Yonhap news agency reported, citing unofficial police estimates.

On January 15, South Korean authorities arrested impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Wednesday following allegations of insurrection.

President Yoon Suk Yeol faced aggressive attempt to arrest him on insurrection charges, following a commitment from top investigator Oh Dong-woon to break through security barriers surrounding the presidential compound on January 8.

South Korean police raided the office of South Korean President on January 11.

A South Korean court approved an arrest warrant for President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has been impeached and suspended from power over his decision to impose martial law on December 3, 2024.

However, the martial law lifted on December 4, 2024, which he had imposed just hours before.

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