Yoon and wife used air-conditioned detention center meeting rooms like a summer retreat

Former President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife used air-conditioned meeting rooms at the detention center up to seven times a day, and for as long as about five hours at a stretch, over the summer months of June through August, it has been confirmed. A detention center houses suspects awaiting trial, and meeting rooms are where visits take place inside the facility.

According to data received from the Ministry of Justice by the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Ki-pyo on the 18th, former President Yoon used the meeting rooms for a total of 150 hours over three months, across 48 visiting days and a total of 94 visits. His wife, Kim Keon-hee, used the rooms for 99 hours over the same period, with 63 visiting days and 155 visits — roughly once every day and a half. She visited up to four times in a single day and stayed as long as 4 hours and 19 minutes.

Former Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun, who faces charges of playing a key role in the insurrection, showed a similar pattern of use. Over the same period, he spent a total of 99 hours in meetings, on 52 visiting days with 104 visits — about once every two days — using the meeting rooms up to four times a day and for as long as 5 hours and 14 minutes.

"While ordinary inmates struggle to get even a 10-minute visit in sweltering heat, insurrection suspects are effectively using the meeting rooms as a summer retreat," said Rep. Kim. He urged the Ministry of Justice to stop tolerating such preferential treatment and to establish strict standards to ensure the fair operation of the visitation system.

The release of this data has put a spotlight on the gap in meeting room usage between ordinary inmates and insurrection suspects, placing the Justice Ministry under pressure to review its operating standards for visitation rooms.