Inside the life of South Korean President Yeon Suk-yeol in prison

As South Korea’s president, Yoon Suk-yul lived in a lavish hilltop mansion, threw parties and had a small army of bodyguards. These days, he is alone in a 107-square-foot cell, eating simple food like noodles and kimchi soup, and sleeping on the floor.

This will be his new reality for a while, after he was formally arrested on charges of rebellion early Sunday as part of an investigation into his ill-fated declaration of martial law last month.

Mr. Yoon, 64, had 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 local court in Seoul issued an arrest warrant for him, he was transformed from a temporary detainee into a criminal suspect facing indictment and trial.

This change in status means that Mr Yoon is unlikely to leave prison any time soon. Within the next 18 days, criminal investigators and prosecutors were expected to indict him on charges of leading the rebellion. During his short martial law period last month. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Mr. Yoon’s new circumstances were a symbol of his dramatic fall from grace: from vaunted head of state to impeached president to inmate accused of committing one of the worst crimes in South Korea’s criminal code. He is the first South Korean to face sedition charges since the former military dictator Chun Doo Hwanwho was convicted in the 1990s.

As president, Mr. Yoon loved to throw parties, often inviting like-minded politicians out for drinks in the evening and even Cooking and serving rolled eggs And barbecue for the presidential press corps. He showed his well-honed entertainment skills abroad when he performed.”American PieDuring a dinner at the White House in 2023

Now, Master, Yoon will wake up not to the chief’s aides and cooks attending to his needs, but to a simple prison breakfast that usually consists of soup dumplings, bread, or cereal. The average cost of a meal in prison is $1.20.

The dramatic political upheaval he unleashed seems to have stunned him as much as ordinary South Koreans.

“Ironically, it was after my impeachment that I really realized that I was actually the president.” Mr. Yoon said in a lengthy statement Wednesday.

Several South Korean politicians and dignitaries – including two former presidents and Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Group – have been detained at the Seoul Detention Center in the city of Uiwang, south of Seoul. When he was a prosecutor, Mr. Yoon helped frame a crime The two former presidents, Park Geun-hyeThere on corruption charges. The prison also houses some of the country’s most notorious death row inmates, including serial killers.

Government officials said Mr. Yoon would not receive special treatment, except that he would be kept in his own room, away from other detainees and prisoners. After his formal arrest, he was expected to undergo a simple medical examination. And get a toothbrush and other necessities for prison life. He will be assigned an inmate number and a pea green prison uniform.

His cell will contain a television, a sink, a small closet, a reading desk that can be used as a dinner table, and a folding mattress for sleeping. The cell has a toilet but no shower. The space will be monitored around the clock via closed circuit television.

Mr. Yoon has been an ardent follower of right-wing YouTubers who have supported his government And spreading conspiracy theories who portrayed his domestic enemies as dangerous sympathizers of North Korea and China. Since declaring martial law on Dec. 3, Mr. Yoon has said his actions have been inspired in part by the same fear, discontent and suspicion spread by extremists on YouTube.

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, some protesters carried signs reading: “Yoon Suk-yeol: It’s time for a digital detox!”

Yang Kyung-soo, a union leader who spent time in a solitary cell in a detention center in Seoul, posted tips for surviving prison on X. “You have to learn how to save warm water because you’re washing your own dishes. If you eat everything they serve, you’ll gain weight quickly.”

Mr. Yoon was expected to meet frequently with his lawyers in the visiting area to prepare for his trials. Separately, the country’s Constitutional Court is deliberating whether the National Assembly’s December 14 vote to impeach him was legitimate and whether he should be formally removed from office.

Mr. Yoon’s martial law lasted only six hours because the opposition-dominated National Assembly voted against it. But during that short period, military commanders ordered the seizure of the association and the arrest of his political enemies, according to prosecutors who arrested and charged military generals accused of helping Mr. Yoon commit the rebellion.

Mr. Yoon and his lawyers insisted that imposing martial law was a legitimate use of presidential power.

After they arrested Mr. Yoon on Wednesday, officials from the country’s top corruption investigation bureau interrogated him until he was sent to rest in a cell at a detention center in Seoul at night. He has since refused to leave his cell to face further interrogation.

But on Saturday, he attended a hearing at the Western District Court in Seoul, where a judge deliberated on whether to issue a warrant for his arrest. He asserted his innocence while thousands of his supporters gathered outside demanding his release. Later, some of them surrounded two cars carrying investigators who sought to arrest Mr. Yoon, shouting insults and damaging their vehicles.

Early Sunday morning, a judge issued an arrest warrant, saying Mr. Yoon could destroy evidence if he was released.

When Ms. Park, the former president, was detained in the detention center, her fanatical supporters would gather near the center’s walls every morning and chant: “Good morning, President Park Geun-hye!”

Since Mr. Yoon’s arrival, some supporters have camped outside, calling his dismissal and arrest “null and void.”