South Koreans gathered in huge numbers in the capital Seoul on Saturday to support or oppose impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol before a court decides whether his short-lived declaration of martial law disqualifies him from office.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who lawmakers voted to impeach and was indicted on criminal charges for declaring martial law last December, was cleared to be released from detention on Friday.

South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok called on Friday for the nation to respect and accept any decision, ahead of a Constitutional Court's ruling on the impeachment of leader Yoon Suk Yeol over his short-lived martial law order.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who lawmakers voted to impeach, was released from detention Saturday after spending nearly two months in custody under a criminal probe for his martial law declaration.

South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, on Saturday was released from jail, where he was being held while he faces a criminal trial on charges of insurrection for declaring martial law in December.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol walked out of a detention centre on Saturday after prosecutors decided not to appeal a court decision to cancel the impeached leader's arrest warrant on insurrection charges.