Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 10, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
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Ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol returns to solitary confinement in South Korea amid a trial over his martial law attempt, facing a 20-day detention warrant.
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's former President Yoon Suk Yeol was back in a solitary jail cell on Thursday after a court issued a new detention warrant as prosecutors investigate his botched attempt to impose martial law last year.
Marking a dramatic fall from grace, Yoon spent 52 days in the Seoul Detention Center earlier in the year before being released on technical grounds. He is currently on trial to decide whether he committed insurrection with his bid to declare martial law on December 3, an allegation he denies.
The following are some facts about the facility and what is expected to unfold for the former leader.
MUGSHOT, KHAKI SUIT
As an inmate, Yoon will have mugshot photographs taken for identification and undergo a "thorough physical inspection", according to corrections service officials.
Inmates held in detention before or during a trial such as Yoon are given a two-piece khaki-coloured uniform, while convicted inmates wear blue-grey uniforms.
SOLITARY JAIL CELL
Yoon will be housed in a roughly 10 square-metre solitary cell and sleep on a foldable mattress on the floor without an air conditioner, an official at the detention centre and media reports said.
With a heat wave gripping the country, Yoon will have to rely on a small electric fan that switches off at night, Park Jie-won, an opposition lawmaker who had been incarcerated there, told a YouTube talk show.
The Seoul Detention Centre, despite its name, is in the city of Uiwang, 22 km (14 miles) south of Seoul, and previously held high-profile figures including former President Park Geun-hye and Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee.
As an inmate at the facility, Yoon will rise with other inmates at 6:30 a.m. and lights out will be at 9 p.m.
2,500 CALORIES
The Korea Correctional Service, which operates the country's prisons and detention centres, says in its regulations and menu section that it provides inmates with 2,500 calories of food per day at a cost of about 1,600 won ($1.17) per meal.
The detention facility served a breakfast of steamed potatoes and mini cheese breads for inmates on Thursday, an official said.
Thursday's dinner menu included bean sprout soup, red bean paste marinated grilled beef and kimchi, according to information provided by the centre.
Yoon will use a public shower room, but the detention facility will stagger the times when he uses it to ensure some privacy, the detention centre official said.
DETENTION WARRANT
The latest detention warrant for Yoon will last a maximum of 20 days. If the new lines of investigation being pursued by the special prosecutor result in an indictment, his detention can be extended by an additional six months for the first round of trial.
($1 = 1,372.7000 won)
(Reporting by Jack Kim, Joyce Lee, Ju-min Park; Editing by Ed Davies and Saad Sayeed)
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol is back in a solitary jail cell after a new detention warrant was issued as prosecutors investigate his actions.
Yoon will be housed in a 10 square-metre solitary cell, sleeping on a foldable mattress without air conditioning, relying on a small fan.
Inmates, including Yoon, are provided with 2,500 calories of food per day, with meals including steamed potatoes, grilled beef, and kimchi.
The latest detention warrant for Yoon will last a maximum of 20 days, but it can be extended if new investigations lead to an indictment.
Yoon will rise with other inmates at 6:30 a.m., and lights out will be at 9 p.m.
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