Seoul Detention Center Where Yoon Is Held Is a 'Gathering Place for Criminals'... Its Predecessor Was Gyeongseong Prison

The Predecessor Was Gyeongseong Prison in the Late Korean Empire
Famous Politicians, Business Leaders, and Celebrities Have Passed Through Here
Equipped with Execution Facilities, Housing Many Inmates on Death Row

President Yoon Suk-yeol has become the first sitting president in constitutional history to be arrested, drawing attention to the history of Seoul Detention Center where he is being held. This facility is famous for having housed several politicians and business leaders, including former presidents. It is also nicknamed the "Beomteol Gathering Place" due to the large number of inmates referred to by the slang term "Beomteol," which denotes wealthy and socially prominent prisoners.

Located in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, the predecessor of Seoul Detention Center was Gyeongseong Prison during the late Korean Empire period. Gyeongseong Prison succeeded the role of Jeonokseo (renamed Gamokseo after the Gabo Reform), a detention facility under the Ministry of Justice during the Joseon Dynasty, which housed traitors and runaway slaves. Opened in 1908 in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Gyeongseong Prison was renamed Seodaemun Prison in 1912 and then Seodaemun Penitentiary in 1923. After several reorganizations following liberation, Seoul Detention Center was relocated to its current site in 1987.

President Yoon Seok-yeol, who is accused of leading an insurrection and abusing power to obstruct the exercise of rights, boarded a vehicle on the afternoon of the 15th after completing an investigation by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Division and headed to Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi-do. Photo by Yonhap News

Seoul Detention Center has also been called "Correctional No. 1." This nickname arose because many famous figures such as politicians and business leaders have been incarcerated here. Notably, former President Roh Tae-woo, who was arrested in 1995 on charges of leading a rebellion, and former President Park Geun-hye, detained in 2017 over the state affairs manipulation scandal, were held at Seoul Detention Center.

Alongside former President Park, many others involved in the state affairs manipulation scandal were also incarcerated here. These include Choi Seo-won (formerly Choi Soon-sil), identified as a key behind-the-scenes figure, former Blue House Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon, former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Cho Yoon-sun, former Minister of Health and Welfare Moon Hyung-pyo, former 2nd Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kim Jong, and former head of the Creative Economy Initiative Cha Eun-taek.

Additionally, prominent business leaders such as Lee Jae-yong, chairman of Samsung Electronics; Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group; and Lee Jae-hyun, chairman of CJ Group, have been incarcerated here in the past. Currently, singer Kim Ho-joong is detained on charges of drunk driving hit-and-run, and actor Yoo Ah-in is held on drug use charges.

President Yoon Seok-yeol, who was arrested by the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Agency on charges of leading an insurrection, is arriving at Seoul Detention Center in Uiwang-si, Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 15th after completing his first day of investigation. Photo by Yonhap News

Several notorious violent criminals well known to the public have also passed through or are currently serving sentences here. Shin Chang-won, known as a notorious escapee, was held here before being transferred to Cheongsong and Busan prisons, and Jo Joo-bin, the mastermind behind the Telegram sex crime "Doctor's Room" case, is also incarcerated here.

Seoul Detention Center is one of four correctional institutions (Seoul and Busan Detention Centers, Daegu and Daejeon Prisons) equipped with facilities for carrying out death sentences, and houses inmates on death row who have not been executed. Notable examples include Kang Ho-soon, who killed 10 people between October 2005 and December 2008, and Yoo Young-chul, who murdered 20 people between 2003 and 2004.

Meanwhile, President Yoon, arrested 42 days after the December 3 martial law incident, is being held in the detainee room within Seoul Detention Center. This area is where suspects awaiting the results of their detention hearings stay, and since inmates are held alone, it is effectively a solitary cell. It is equipped with a TV, bedding, a desk that doubles as a dining table, and the floor is fitted with electric heating wires.