Inside South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s life in prison

As the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol lives in a luxurious mansion on a hill, throws parties and has a small army of personal guards. Today, he is alone in a 107-square-meter cell, eating simple meals such as noodles and kimchi soup, and sleeping on the floor.

That’s the new reality for him for a while, after he was formally arrested on sedition charges on Sunday morning as part of an investigation into his declaration of martial law last month. there.

Mr. Yoon, 64, has been in the Seoul Detention Center, a government-run prison south of Seoul, since Wednesday, when he became the first sitting president in South Korea’s history to be detained. in a criminal investigation. When a district court in Seoul issued an arrest warrant for him, he went from being a pretrial detainee to a criminal suspect facing charges and a trial.

The status change means Mr. Yoon will not be able to be released from prison anytime soon. Within the next 18 days, criminal investigators and prosecutors are expected to indict him on charges of leading a rebellion during the long-running martial law last month. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Mr. Yoon’s new situation is symbolic of his sudden fall from grace: from overzealous head of state to ousted president to prisoner accused of one of the is the most serious offense in South Korea’s criminal law. He is the first South Korean to face sedition charges since former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who was convicted in the 1990s.

As president, Mr. Yoon likes to throw parties, often inviting like-minded politicians for evening drinks and even cooking and serving chicken eggs and barbecue for his president’s press corps. . She showed off her renewed entertaining skills abroad when she belted out “American Pie” at a White House dinner in 2023.

Now, Mr. Instead of helping the president and the chef tending to his needs, Yoon will wake up to a simple prison breakfast that usually consists of soup, bread or cereal. A lunch in prison costs $1.20.

The political turmoil it unleashed seemed to astonish him as every day South Koreans.

“It’s funny, it was only after I was removed that I realized I really am the president,” Mr. Yoon said in a lengthy statement on Wednesday.

Several South Korean politicians and dignitaries — including two former presidents and Samsung conglomerate Lee Jae-yong — are being held at the Seoul Detention Center in the southern city of Uiwang. Seoul. As a prosecutor, Mr. Yoon helped indict one of the two former presidents, Park Geun-hye, on corruption charges. The prison also holds some of the country’s most notorious death row inmates, including murderers.

Government officials said Mr. Yoon would receive no special treatment, except to be kept in his own cell, away from inmates and other inmates. and get toothbrushes and other things necessary for prison life. He was given a prisoner number and a green prisoner uniform.

His room will have a television, a sink, a small cabinet, a reading table that can be used as a dining table, and a folding mattress for sleeping. The cell has a toilet but no shower. The space will be monitored around the clock by closed circuit television.

Mr. is an avid follower of right-wing YouTubers. Yoon who supported his government and spread conspiracy theories that portrayed his domestic enemies as dangerous allies of North Korea and China. Since declaring martial law on Dec. 3, Mr. Yoon has said his actions were inspired in part by the fear, anger and suspicion of YouTube extremists.

Prison television only shows programs licensed by the Ministry of Justice. Prisoners cannot access the Internet, including YouTube. At rallies calling for Mr. Yoon’s arrest in recent weeks, protesters held signs that read: “Yoon Suk Yeol: Time for a digital detox!”

Yang Kyeung-soo, a union leader who spent time in solitary confinement at the Seoul Detention Center, has posted prison safety tips on X. If you eat everything he serves, you’ll lose weight you are fast.

mr. Yoon expected to meet frequently with his attorney in the visitation area to prepare for his trial. Separately, the country’s Constitutional Court is considering whether the National Assembly’s December 14 vote to impeach him is legal and whether he should be formally removed from office. his position.

Mr. Yoon’s martial law lasted just six hours as the opposition-controlled National Assembly passed it. But during that short time, he ordered military commanders to seize the House and arrest his political enemies, according to prosecutors who arrested and charged military generals accused of aiding Mr. Yoon in the rebellion.

Mr. Yoon and his lawyers insisted that the imposition of martial law was a legitimate exercise of presidential power.

After holding Mr. On Wednesday, Yoon was questioned by officials of the country’s top corruption investigation bureau until he was released from jail. at the Seoul Detention Center. But he has since refused to leave his room to face further questioning.

“He made his basic position known during the first day of interrogation, and he no longer feels any reason or need to ask questions and answers in any kind of investigation,” said a lawyer, Seok Dong-hyeon.

When Ms. Park, the former president, was held in prison, die-hard supporters gathered near her wall every morning and chanted, “Good morning, President Park Geun-hye!”

Since the arrival of Mr. Yoon, with some supporters camped outside, called his conviction and arrest “empty and meaningless.”