"Moved Room Due to Yoon's Complaint About Noise Between Floors" Internet Post... Ministry of Justice "Baseless"

"No Inmate Transfers Occurred," Ministry Dismisses Allegations

President Yoon Suk-yeol was alleged to have complained about noise between floors at Seoul Detention Center, causing other inmates to move rooms, but the Ministry of Justice denied the claim as "groundless."

President Yoon Suk-yeol attended the third impeachment trial on the afternoon of the 21st at the Constitutional Court in Jongno-gu, Seoul, sitting in the respondent's seat. January 21, 2025. Photo by Joint Press Corps

Recently, a post titled "Smart Visitation" was uploaded to the so-called 'Okbaraji Cafe,' an online community where families of inmates are active. The author, Mr. A, wrote, "These days, Seoul Detention Center is no joke. Unfortunately, the inmate inside has a room directly below President Yoon's room," adding, "They say the room was damaged because of loud thumping noises from above. It’s really infuriating." The phrase 'the room was damaged' means that some inmates were transferred to other rooms.

Mr. A also added, "How long do we have to ride this rollercoaster? I sincerely pray that (President Yoon) disappears from Seoul Detention Center soon." This post spread across various online communities. Some netizens reacted with comments such as "President Yoon is abusing power in prison" and "Is it even possible to report noise complaints in prison?" sparking controversy.

In response, the Ministry of Justice dismissed the claims as "groundless and not worth responding to." They stated that there had never been any noise complaints and no inmates had been transferred.

Earlier, on the 21st, allegations of preferential treatment surfaced that President Yoon received pre-trial styling services before attending the third hearing of the Constitutional Court impeachment trial. Park Eun-jung, a member of the Joguk Innovation Party, wrote on her Facebook, "Which ordinary inmate gets a haircut before attending a trial?" She also pointed out, "The inmate number '0010' assigned to Yoon Suk-yeol did not display the number badges accepted by former presidents Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak, and Park Geun-hye. Seoul Detention Center claims it was done at their discretion, but I cannot understand why such preferential treatment was given."

Regarding this allegation, the Ministry of Justice explained, "Before the Constitutional Court appearance, the Presidential Office requested Seoul Detention Center to consider protocol and courtesy as the president, as well as the importance and attention to the constitutional trial." They added, "Considering the current president’s status and previous cooperation during election broadcast filming inside correctional facilities, it is difficult to view this as preferential treatment."

As for reports that Seoul Detention Center emptied an entire pretrial detention block to accommodate President Yoon, the Ministry clarified, "This is not true," and added, "The number of dedicated correctional officers assigned is undecided and a security matter, so it is difficult to disclose."

Yoon Suk-yeol, the first sitting president in constitutional history to become a defendant, is spending his first holiday at Seoul Detention Center. It is reported that throughout the holiday, President Yoon met with his legal team to prepare for the impeachment trial and criminal proceedings.