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Prison life begins for Kim Keon Hee after court issues first pretrial detention warrant for former first lady

Published: 13 Aug. 2025, 15:42 Updated: 13 Aug. 2025, 18:24

Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul, on Aug. 12 to attend a pretrial detention hearing. [YONHAP]

For the first time as a former first lady, Kim Keon Hee was officially admitted to a general cell at Seoul Southern Detention Center on Wednesday morning. She was assigned inmate number 4398.

Kim appeared at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Tuesday for a pretrial detention hearing. Since then, she had been held in the suspect holding room at the detention center.

A detention warrant was issued around Tuesday midnight. Following the court order, the special prosecutor’s team, led by Min Joong-ki, delivered the warrant to the detention center, which proceeded with taking Kim into custody. Due to her status as the wife of a former president and concerns over possible incidents inside the facility, she was assigned to a single-occupancy cell.

In line with protocol, officials verified Kim’s personal details and conducted a brief interview before performing a detailed physical examination. She was then issued a light green uniform, typically worn by female detainees in the summer, and given her inmate number. A mug shot was taken for identification, after which she received undergarments, a towel, a toothbrush, a tray and plastic utensils before being escorted to her cell.

Her solitary cell measures approximately 6.56 square meters (70.6 square feet) and is equipped with a folding mattress, blanket, storage cabinet, television, multipurpose desk, washbasin and toilet. She is permitted to exercise for up to one hour per day, excluding Sundays and public holidays. While she will use a communal bathhouse, the facility is expected to coordinate her bathing times separately from other detainees.

Former First Lady Kim Keon Hee leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, after her pretrial detention hearing ends on Aug. 12 afternoon. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

She may meet with her legal counsel at any time during work hours. Her exercise schedules will also likely be coordinated to avoid overlap with other detainees.

Meals are the same as those served to other detainees in the holding cells. Three meals a day are provided, each consisting of rice and three side dishes. For breakfast on Wednesday, bread with strawberry jam, milk, frankfurter sausage and salad were served. Lunch included pork kimchi jjigae (stew), sweet-and-sour mandu (dumplings), stir-fried zucchini with salted shrimp and young radish kimchi. Dinner will feature namul (seasoned vegetables), a fried egg, young summer radish kimchi and cucumber naengguk (cold soup). However, Kim reportedly refused to eat.

All protection and security services provided by the Presidential Security Service have been fully suspended following the execution of her detention warrant, which transferred her custody to the correctional authorities. Under the current Act on the Treatment of Former Presidents, security can be extended to family members of former presidents removed from office through impeachment, but with both former President Yoon and Kim now in custody, such services are no longer deemed necessary.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom staff.
BY CHOI SEO-IN [[email protected]]