The Fate Of Former South Korean First Lady Kim Keon Hee In A Detention Cell With Floor Mattresses
JAKARTA - Former South Korean first lady, Kim Keon Hee, spent her first day in detention on Wednesday in a cell similar to the cell occupied by her husband and former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Prosecutors are pursuing the couple who used to be high-achieving in an increasingly widespread criminal investigation.
Kim was officially detained at the Seoul Nambu Detention Center on the western edge of the capital, a relatively new correctional facility opened in 2011 and one of the few managed by female guards.
"He will be treated the same as any other inmate, but will receive a slight adjustment in his daily routine given his status as an important figure," a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Kim Keon Hee was detained after the court approved a warrant for his arrest late Tuesday on the grounds that he might remove evidence amid ongoing investigations on charges of bribery, stock fraud, and abuse of influence.
Kim's lawyers denied accusations against him and dismissed baseless speculation about some of the gifts he allegedly received in exchange for help.
Kim apologized for raising concerns in his country and calling himself "not anyone" when he was present for questioning last week.
The isolation cell has a small table that can be used as a writing table and to eat, as well as a floor mattress for sleep, the source told Reuters on Wednesday, August 13.
Kim Keon Hee will have separate access to public bathrooms and is allowed to exercise outdoors for an hour every day except on Sundays, with time set in stages to avoid overlapping with other inmates.
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The detention cell will be a completely new experience for Kim, unlike her husband who has spent about 100 days in prison.
Yoon was tried for his failed attempts to impose martial law, on charges of insurgency, charges he denies.
Yon is being held at the Seoul Detention Center, whose name, although the Seoul Detention Center, is outside the capital city in the south.