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Impeached South Korean president released from prison ahead of insurrection trial

South Korea’s impeached conservative president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has been released from prison, a day after a Seoul court cancelled his arrest to allow him to stand trial for insurrection without being detained.

After walking out of a detention centre near Seoul on Saturday, Yoon waved, clenched his fists and bowed deeply to his supporters who were shouting his name and waving South Korean and US flags. Yoon climbed into a black van headed to his presidential residence in the capital.

In a statement distributed by his lawyers, Yoon said that he “appreciates the courage and decision by the Seoul central district court to correct illegality”, in an apparent reference to legal disputes over his arrest. He said he also thanked his supporters and asked those who were on hunger strike against his impeachment to end it.

On Saturday, about 55,000 Yoon supporters rallied in Seoul’s main districts, while 32,500 people demonstrated against him near the constitutional court, Yonhap news agency reported, citing unofficial police estimates.

The public, however, remains largely anti-Yoon, with 60% of respondents saying he should be removed from office and 35% opposing removal, according to a Gallup Korea poll on Friday.

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