Seoul, March 8
The South Korean ruling and Opposition parties sparred on Saturday over a court decision to release detained South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, deepening the political divide that has thrown the country into political turmoil.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) demanded Yoon's immediate release, denouncing his detention as "illegal" during a protest in front of the Supreme Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul.
"They are still detaining the President 20 hours after the court ruled for his release," the PPP's interim leader Kwon Young-se said at the protest, urging the prosecution not to "give in to threats from the Opposition party."
The protest was attended by 35 PPP lawmakers, who chanted, "Release the President."
Kweon Seong-dong, the party's floor leader, warned that the party would file a complaint against the prosecution on charges of "illegal detention" if it failed to free the President, news agency reported.
Meanwhile, the main Opposition Democratic Party (DP) strongly urged the prosecution to appeal the court's decision during a rally near the same prosecution office. The party warned that failing to do so would be a "betrayal of the people and a concession to the ringleader of an insurrection."