Yoon lawyers said the decision had confirmed that Yoon Detention was problematic “Both procedural and substantial.”
“We are deeply how difficult it is to restore the rule of law once it has collapsed,” they said. “Now a new trip begins.”
Yoon, who is currently suspended from his duties, was initially arrested on January 15, making him the first South Korean president sitting for criminal charges. He still faces an insurrection trial as well as a separate trial to determine whether to defend his December impreach by legislators in the Parliament controlled by the opposition.
The corruption investigation office for senior officials, the Investigation Agency responsible for the arrest of Yoon, expressed its regrets for its release.
The main Democratic Party of the Opposition called the Liberation of Yoon “an act of surrender” and said that Yoon “struck a victorious pose as a triumphant general” when he left the detention center.
“It is the shameless attitude of a man who refuses to recognize that he remains an charged suspect to direct an insurrection,” said Cho Seung-Rae, party spokesperson.
South Korea is seriously polarized between the conservatives and the liberals, and the release of Yoon was exasperating for adversaries such as Park Hyun-Min, a university student.
“He declared the martial law, paralyzed the functioning of the government, then exploited gaps in an unprecedented law, framing detention as an error from the start and using it as an excuse to get out of the prison,” said Park during a telephone interview. “It’s loose.”
Kang Min Woo, who demonstrated Yoon in support near the Town Hall, said that he was “exalted” by the release of Yoon.
“It’s just a start to cope with anti-state forces,” said Kang, a 30-year-old office worker during a telephone interview.
Kang said he hoped that Yoon’s release would put pressure on the Constitutional Court to cancel his dismissal, noting that Yoon’s approval rating has been rebounded in recent weeks. The court should rule later this month.
But for the moment, Kang said: “I am preparing to move to the presidential residence to greet the president.”
Beomsu Jo reported to Seoul, Stella Kim reported that Los Angeles and Jennifer Jett reported in Hong Kong.