South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol in prison life

As South Korea’s president, Yun Suk-yeol lived in a luxurious hilltop mansion, hosted parties and had a handful of personal bodyguards. These days, he is alone in a 107-square-foot prison, eating simple meals like noodles and kimchi soup and sleeping on the floor.

This will be his new reality for a while after he was arrested on charges of rioting early Sunday following an investigation into his loyalist declaration of martial law last month.

Mr. Yun, 64, has been in a state-run prison in Seoul since Wednesday, becoming the first sitting president in South Korea’s history to be arrested on criminal charges. When a district court in Seoul issued a warrant for his arrest, he went from being a temporary prisoner to being charged and sentenced as a criminal suspect.

That change in position means Mr. Yun is unlikely to be released from prison anytime soon. Within the next 18 days, detectives and prosecutors are expected to file charges against him for leading a brief martial law uprising last month. He faces life in prison or the death penalty if convicted.

Mr. Yun’s new circumstances mark his dramatic fall from grace: from head of state to convicted president to prisoner for one of the worst crimes in South Korea’s criminal code. In the year It is the first South Korea to face sedition charges since former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan was convicted in the 1990s.

As president, Mr. Yun loved to throw parties, often inviting like-minded politicians to evening drinks and even dinners. Cook and serve fried eggs and a barbecue for the president’s press corps. In the year In 2023, he showcased his masterful entertaining skills abroad by belting out “American Pie” during a state dinner at the White House.

Sunday Yoon wakes up not to the president’s aides and cooks to meet his needs, but a simple prison breakfast consisting of broth soup, dried radish, and cabbage kimchi. The average prison meal costs $1.20.

The dramatic political unrest it has sparked seems to have impressed him as much as South Koreans.

“The strange thing is that after I was impeached, I realized that I am really the president.” Mr. Yun said in a lengthy statement. On Wednesday.

Many South Korean politicians and dignitaries – including the two former presidents and Samsung Congress leader Lee Jae-yong – are being held at the Seoul prison in Uwang, south of Seoul. As a prosecutor, Mr. Yoon helped prosecute one of the two former presidents, Park Geun-hye, on corruption charges. The prison houses the country’s most notorious death row inmates, including serial killers.

Government officials said Mr. Yun would not receive any special care except to be kept in his own cell, away from other prisoners and inmates. After formal detention, he is expected to undergo a simple medical examination. and receive toothbrushes and other necessities for prison life. He will be assigned a prisoner number and a pea-green prison uniform.

His room will have televisions, a bathtub, a small closet, a reading table that doubles as a dinner table, and a folding mattress for sleeping. The cell has a toilet but no shower. The area is monitored around the clock by means of closed-circuit television. There are exercise times and visiting hours.

Mr. Yun was a follower of right-wing YouTubers who promoted conspiracy theories that supported his government and portrayed its domestic enemies, including North Korea and China, as dangerous allies. Since declaring martial law on Dec. 3, Mr. Yun said his actions were partly motivated by the same fear, anger and suspicions spread by extremists on YouTube.

The prison TV only shows programs approved by the Ministry of Justice. Prisoners cannot use the Internet, but they can access books and newspapers. In recent weeks, some protesters have chanted “Yon Suk Yeol: Time for a digital detox!” at demonstrations calling for Mr Yoon’s arrest. Hold a sign.

Yang Kyung-soo, a labor union leader who spent time in solitary confinement in a Seoul prison, has posted prison survival tips on X. If you eat everything they offer, you will gain weight quickly.

Mr. Yoon is expected to meet frequently with his lawyers in the area he visits to prepare for the trials. Separately, the country’s Constitutional Court is investigating whether the National Assembly’s vote to impeach him on December 14 is legal and if he should be removed from office.

Mr Yun’s martial law lasted only six hours as the opposition-led National Assembly rejected it. But in that short time, he ordered military commanders to seize the council and arrest his political enemies, according to prosecutors, who arrested and charged army generals accused of aiding Mr. Yoon.

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

After arresting Mr. Yun on Wednesday, officials from the country’s top corruption investigation bureau asked him to spend the night in a Seoul detention center until he was sent away. He then refused to leave the room to face further questions.

But he appeared in court on Saturday at Seoul’s Western District Court, where a judge debated whether to issue a warrant for his arrest. He pleaded his innocence, prompting thousands of supporters to demand his release. Some later shouted insults and surrounded two cars containing detectives who wanted to arrest Mr. Yun.

Earlier on Sunday, the judge issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Yun, saying he could destroy evidence if he is released.

Soon after, angry Yoon supporters broke through the police cordon and entered the courthouse, smashing windows with fire extinguishers and plastic chairs. They climbed through the broken windows, kicked computers, smashed wall mirrors and overturned other furniture inside. Others broke through the court’s main glass doors. Some shouted for the referee to leave, according to live footage of the scene. Others said, “Cancel the order!” they shouted.

Police quickly intervened and arrested dozens of protesters.