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Claims have emerged that former President Yoon Suk Yeol created difficulties for prison guards during his incarceration by asking for more coffee and criticizing the meals as inadequate. His legal team has denied those allegations.
On March 19, former Justice Ministry inspector Ryu Hyuk appeared on MBC Radio’s “Kim Jong-bae’s Focus” and described what prison officers had told him about Yoon’s life behind bars.
Ryu said he had opportunities to speak with guards while serving as a Justice Ministry inspector, not in his capacity as a lawyer, and that they discussed the challenges and complaints guards face.
He said that, from the guards’ perspective, Yoon’s demeanor during meetings sometimes came across as dismissive and made them uncomfortable. According to Ryu, when meetings occurred, Yoon did not offer words of appreciation to the officers who had worked on his case; instead, he reportedly focused on his own discomforts.
For example, Ryu said guards reported Yoon saying things like “I want more coffee” or “the meals are poor.” Quoting the guards, he added that some described him as having a very large appetite. As such reports accumulated, Ryu said some guards began avoiding meetings with Yoon.
When the host asked whether commissary funds could address the issues, Ryu replied that Yoon sought to resolve needs through face-to-face meetings that money could not satisfy, and that guards were left disappointed, concluding, “So he was this greedy.”
Yoon’s legal team pushed back, calling Ryu’s claims false.
On March 20, Yoo Jeong-hwa, a lawyer for Yoon, wrote on her social media that the remarks amounted to irresponsible hearsay from anonymous sources rather than objective evidence, and that publishing unverified accounts about someone in custody is highly inappropriate.
Yoo said Yoon is living in custody in compliance with relevant laws and regulations and is following correctional authorities’ instructions. She called allegations that he ignored guards or made improper demands untrue, describing them as baseless falsehoods without objective evidence.
Yoo also criticized the use of sensational terms such as “appetite” to distort the situation, calling that an unfair personal attack that exceeds reasonable character assessment. She accused the current Justice Ministry of exposing internal detention matters publicly without regard for detainees’ rights and of inflating the issue through excessive public debate. Yoo added that Ryu Hyuk, who claimed to have conducted inspections, revealed his own limitations by operating within those same boundaries.
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