Prison uniforms, weekly showers and other strict rules also apply to ousted South Korean President Jun Suk-jeol, who is also in a prison with other prisoners, and his only privilege is being alone in his cell, a prison official said.
The former president was arrested on Wednesday, January 15, and is facing several investigations, the main one for "rebellion," a crime punishable by death, for declaring a state of emergency on December 3. The coup was quickly thwarted, but it plunged his country into political chaos.
The Constitutional Court must make a formal decision by mid-June on the validity of the removal of the practically deposed president, which was voted on by the Assembly on December 14, but he is still legally and technically the head of state.
On Sunday, a court in Seoul extended his detention for 20 days to prevent him from destroying evidence of his guilt for a series of crimes.
The conservative leader, the first South Korean head of state to be arrested, was taken to a 12-square-meter cell at the Uiwang Detention Center on the outskirts of Seoul on Sunday, said Shin Yong-hae, commissioner-general of the prison service.
It's one of the "standard cells used by prisoners," Shin said.
Jon is alone in a cell that normally holds five to six prisoners, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency. He has a desk, a shelf, a sink, a toilet and a television, but he is limited in how much television he can watch.
Jon had to take off his civilian clothes and put on a brown prison uniform and wear a prisoner number.
According to prison rules, prisoners are allowed one hour of exercise per day and one shower per week.
The head of state was photographed like other prisoners, and underwent a medical examination, in which he "cooperated well," a prison official said.
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