Behind the scenes of South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol's life in prison

As South Korea's president, Yoon Seok-yeol lived in a luxurious mansion on a hill, threw parties, and had a small army of personal guards. 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 some time to come, since he was formally arrested on sedition charges early Sunday morning as part of an investigation into last month's ill-fated declaration of martial law.

Yun, 64, has been held at the government-run Seoul Detention Center in southern Seoul since Wednesday, when he became the first sitting president in South Korean history to be detained in a criminal investigation. When the Seoul District Court issued an arrest warrant for him, he went from being a temporary detainee to a criminal suspect facing indictment and trial.

This change in status means that Mr. Yoon is unlikely to be released from prison anytime soon. Within the next 18 days, criminal investigators and prosecutors plan to indict him on charges of leading an insurrection during last month's brief period of martial law. If he is convicted, he faces life in prison or the death penalty.

Mr. Yoon's new situation symbolizes his dramatic fall from arrogant head of state to impeached president to prisoner accused of committing one of the worst crimes under South Korean criminal law. There is. He is the first South Korean to be charged with sedition since former military dictator Chun Doo-hwan, who was convicted in the 1990s.

As president, Mr. Yoon liked to throw parties, often inviting like-minded politicians for drinks and sometimes cooking and serving dashimaki eggs and barbecue to the presidential press corps. He also demonstrated his finely honed entertaining skills overseas in 2023, when he belted out “American Pie” at a state dinner at the White House.

On Sundays, Mr. Yoon will wake up to a simple prison breakfast that will likely consist of dumpling soup, dried radish, and Chinese cabbage kimchi, rather than a presidential aide or a chef tending to his needs. The average meal in prison costs $1.20.

The dramatic political turmoil he caused seems to have surprised him as much as ordinary Koreans.

“Ironically, it was only after I was impeached that I realized that I was indeed president,” Yun said in a lengthy statement Wednesday.

A number of South Korean politicians and senior officials, including two former presidents and Samsung conglomerate leader Lee Jae-yong, are being held at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, a city south of Seoul. During her time as a prosecutor, Yoon helped bring one of the two former presidents, Park Geun-hye, to prosecutors on corruption charges. The prison also houses some of the country's most notorious death row inmates, including serial killers.

Government officials said Yun will receive no special treatment, other than being isolated in his cell away from other detainees and prisoners, and will undergo a brief medical examination after his formal arrest. He said that was expected. You will receive a toothbrush and other necessities needed for prison life. He will be assigned a prisoner number and a bean-green prison uniform.

His cell is equipped with a television set, sink, small cupboard, reading desk that doubles as a dinner table, and a foldable mattress for sleeping. The cell has a toilet, but no shower. This space is monitored 24 hours a day via closed circuit television. There will be exercise time and visiting time.

Mr. Yun was an avid follower of right-wing YouTubers who supported the government and spread conspiracy theories depicting domestic enemies as dangerous sympathizers of North Korea and China. Since declaring martial law on Dec. 3, Yun has said his actions were inspired in part by the same fear, anger and suspicions spread by extremists on YouTube.

Prison televisions only broadcast programs approved by the Ministry of Justice. Prisoners cannot use the internet, but they can access books and newspapers. At rallies calling for Yoon's arrest in recent weeks, some demonstrators held placards that read “Yun Seok-yeol: It's time for a digital detox!”

Labor union leader Yang Kyung-soo, who spent time in solitary confinement at the Seoul Detention Center, posted tips on how to survive in prison on X. “Since you wash the dishes yourself, you have to learn how to conserve hot water. If you eat everything that comes out, you'll quickly gain weight.”

Mr. Sanyun was expected to meet frequently with his lawyer in the areas he visited to prepare for his trial. Separately, the country's Constitutional Court is considering whether parliament's Dec. 14 vote to impeach him was legal and whether he should be formally removed from office.

Yun's martial law lasted only six hours because the opposition-dominated National Assembly rejected it. However, according to prosecutors who arrested and prosecuted military generals accused of aiding and abetting Yun's rebellion, during that short period, Yun commanded military commanders to occupy Congress and arrested political opponents. He reportedly ordered him to do so.

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

After taking Yun into custody on Wednesday, officials from the country's High-level Corruption Investigation Bureau questioned him until he was transferred to a cell at the Seoul Detention Center in the evening. Since then, he has refused to leave his cell for further questioning.

But on Saturday, he attended a hearing at Seoul Western District Court, where a judge deliberated whether to issue an arrest warrant. He maintained his innocence as thousands of supporters gathered outside demanding his release. Afterwards, some of the suspects surrounded two cars carrying investigators who wanted to arrest Yoon, yelling insults and damaging the vehicles.

Early Sunday morning, a judge issued an arrest warrant for Yoon, citing the risk of destroying evidence if he is released. Moments later, angry Yoon supporters forced their way into the courthouse through police barricades, destroying wall panels and smashing windows with fire extinguishers and plastic chairs. Police were called in to restore order and detained dozens of protesters.

When former President Park was held in a detention center, her ardent supporters gathered near the prison wall every morning and shouted, “Good morning, President Park Geun-hye!”

Since Mr. Yun's arrival, some supporters have camped outside, calling his impeachment and arrest “null.”