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 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.

Protests intensified over the weekend as the Constitutional Court is likely to hand down its verdict on suspended President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment this week.