As the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol lived in a luxurious mansion on top of a mountain, threw parties and had a small army of bodyguards. Today, he is alone in a 107-square-meter prison, eating simple meals such as noodles and kimchi soup, and sleeping on the floor.

That will be his new reality for a while, after he was arrested on treason charges early Sunday as part of an investigation into his botched declaration of martial law last month.

Mr. Yoon, 64, has been at the Seoul Detention Center, a state-run prison in southern Seoul, since Wednesday, where he was held. the first president in South Korea’s history to be arrested for criminal investigation. When the Seoul District Court issued a warrant for his arrest, he went from temporary detention to a suspect and prosecution.

This change meant that Mr. Yoon would not be able to leave prison anytime soon. In the next 18 days, investigators and prosecutors were expected to charge him with leading the gang. during his short term of martial law last month. If convicted, he faces life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Mr. Yoon’s experiences were a sign of his dramatic fall: from being a leader to being an impeached president, to a prisoner accused of the most serious crime in South Korea. He is the first person in South Korea to be charged with treason since the former dictator Chun Doo-hwanwho were prosecuted in the 1990s.

As president, Mr. Yoon loved to host parties, often inviting like-minded politicians to dinner and even drinks. cooking and serving scrambled eggs and grilling his press corps. He showed his ability to entertain outside where he came out”American Pie” at a White House dinner in 2023

Now, Mr. Yoon will wake up not only to presidential aides and chefs who support his needs, but to a prison breakfast that usually consists of dumpling soup, bread or corn. An average meal in a prison costs $1.20.

The massive political upheavals he sparked seem to have shocked him as much as everyday South Koreans.

“The strange thing is, after being criticized when I realized that I am really the president,” Mr. Yoon said in a long voice on the third.

Many South Korean politicians and dignitaries – including two former presidents and Lee Jae-yong, the head of the Samsung conglomerate – are being held at the Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang, a city south of Seoul. When he was a prosecutor, Mr. Yoon helped put one of the Two former presidents of Park Geun-hyethere on corruption charges. The prison also houses some of the country’s most notorious death row inmates, including serial killers.

Officials said Yoon will not receive special treatment, except that he will be kept in his cell, away from other inmates and inmates. and receive a toothbrush and other essentials for prison life. He will be given an inmate number and a green prison uniform.

His cell will have a TV, a sink, a small closet, a reading desk that is like a dinner table, and a folding mattress for sleeping. The cell has a toilet but no shower. The area will be monitored day and night via closed circuit television.

Mr. Yoon has been a staunch supporter of a wing of YouTubers who have supported his government and spreading conspiracy theories which portrayed his domestic enemies as sympathetic to North Korea and China. Since he declared martial law on Dec. 3, Mr. Yoon said that his actions were motivated by the same fear, anger and suspicion that are spread by extremists on YouTube.

Prison TV only shows programs approved by the Ministry of Justice. Prisoners do not have access to the Internet, including YouTube. At rallies calling for Yoon’s arrest in recent weeks, some protesters held signs that read: “Yoon Suk Yeol: It’s time for digital destruction!”

Yang Kyeung-soo, the leader of the workers’ union who was in solitary confinement at the Seoul Detention Center, posted tips on how to survive in prison on X. “You have to learn to keep warm water because you wash your dishes. If you eat whatever they give you, you will gain weight quickly. “

Father. Yoon was expected to meet frequently with his lawyers at the resort to prepare his case. Separately, the country’s Constitutional Court is debating whether Parliament’s vote on December 14 to impeach him was valid and whether he should be removed from office.

Yoon’s martial law lasted just six hours as the opposition-majority National Assembly voted it down. But within that short period of time, he ordered military officers to hold the Assembly and arrest his political opponents, according to prosecutors who have arrested and charged military officers accused of aiding Yoon in the riots.

Mr. Yoon and his lawyers insisted that his imposition of martial law was a legitimate exercise of presidential power.

After arresting Mr. Yoon on Wednesday, officials from the country’s anti-corruption bureau interrogated him until he was sent to rest in a Seoul prison overnight. Since then he has refused to come out of his room to ask more questions.

But on Saturday, he went to the Seoul Western District Court, where a judge discussed whether to issue an arrest warrant. He pleaded not guilty as thousands of his supporters gathered outside to demand his release. Some of them later surrounded two vehicles carrying investigators who were trying to arrest Mr. Yoon, shouting abuse and vandalizing their vehicles.

Early Sunday morning, the judge issued a warrant for their arrest, saying Yoon could destroy evidence if released.

When Mrs. Park, the former president, was held in this prison, the brutal supporters gathered near her fence every morning and shouted “Good morning, President Park Geun-hye!”

Since Mr. Yoon’s appearance, some supporters have set up camp outside, saying his opposition and arrest were “absurd.”