SOUTH KOREA'S impeached conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol was released from prison on Saturday, a day after a Seoul court cancelled his arrest to allow him to stand trial for rebellion without being detained.

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

In a statement distributed by his lawyers, Mr 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.