Solitary exercise and soaring temperatures: Life at Seoul detention center

For Yoon, facing the investigation rather than resisting it may ultimately serve his well-being.

Kang Ju-an The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol, currently held at the Seoul Detention Center, did not appear in court on July 17 for his trial on charges of masterminding an insurrection. This follows his previous refusal to cooperate with the special counsel investigation led by Cho Eun-suk. Yoon’s legal team claimed that his health had deteriorated to the point where he struggled even to climb the stairs to the visitation room.

Attorney Kim Gye-ri, a member of Yoon’s defense team, also posted on Facebook that the former president was not being allowed outdoor exercise time, which is normally granted to detainees. The Correctional Bureau of the Ministry of Justice quickly refuted this, stating that outdoor time had not been restricted but was being conducted separately to prevent contact with other inmates.

A vehicle carrying former President Yoon Suk Yeol enters the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, Gyeonggi, on July 9 after he completed a pretrial detention hearing. [YONHAP]

During a visit to the detention center last year, this reporter saw what staff refer to as the “pizza yard.” The nickname comes from the facility’s design — a circular structure divided like pizza slices into wedge-shaped yards, each enclosed and equipped with its own door. These are used for high-risk inmates, such as those considered capable of tampering with evidence, like Yoon. The space is small, only a few steps across, and typically contains a single piece of exercise equipment. But despite its size, it offers inmates a rare chance to see the open sky.

Seoul Detention Center also has a larger, track-like yard where general prisoners mingle. However, individuals under high-security restrictions, including Yoon, are prohibited from using such common spaces due to concerns over contact with others.

Supporters of Yoon have called for air conditioning in the facility. The issue gained attention last summer during a severe heat wave, a time when the Yoon administration still held power. Rising discomfort and temperatures led to a spike in inmate altercations. Inmates frequently ran taps to keep cool, causing monthly water bills to exceed 500 million won ($359,000). At the time, Shin Yong-hae, then head of the Correctional Bureau, voiced support for installing air conditioning, and Democratic Party lawmakers, including Rep. Kim Young-bae, also expressed approval. The administration, however, showed little interest — likely not anticipating that Yoon himself would be spending the next summer behind bars.

Compared to communal cells that can hold up to nine inmates in rooms designed for five, Yoon’s single-person cell is relatively comfortable. Some prisoners reportedly caused disturbances just to be moved to solitary confinement, where conditions were more bearable.

Yoon’s refusal to attend court and special counsel sessions is a stance few ordinary inmates could take without consequences. Ham Un-gyeong, head of the People Power Party’s Mapo B district office and a former activist who led the 1985 U.S. Cultural Center sit-in, wrote on Facebook about his own experience of being forcibly escorted from his cell. “If you refuse to leave, at least ten guards come in,” he recalled. He noted that five guards would lift each limb — a method that evokes Yoon’s own instructions during the emergency declaration to have lawmakers physically removed from the National Assembly.

The Seoul Dongbu Detention Center in Songpa District, southern Seoul, is seen on Dec. 20, 2022. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Under mounting pressure from the special counsel, Yoon has filed for a detention warrant review. Unless he is released, he may need to reconsider his strategy. Correctional officers, trained to manage inmates from low-level offenders to death-row inmates, often reward cooperative behavior. Former inmates have noted that the monotony of detention makes them look forward to off-site interrogations. One former vice minister recalled, “The hardest part was being stuck in the cell. I still remember how good the food tasted when I went out for questioning.”

Managing both body and mind is key in detention. For Yoon, facing the investigation rather than resisting it may ultimately serve his well-being.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.