Solitary cell with mattress on the floor for South Korea's once powerful ex-first lady

First lady Kim Keon Hee was formally booked into the Seoul Nambu Detention Center on the western edge of the capital, a comparatively new correctional facility that opened in 2011 and one of the few run by a female warden.

Seoul: South Korea's former first lady Kim Keon Hee will spend her first day in jail on Wednesday in a cell much like the one her husband and ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol occupies as prosecutors pursue the once high-flying couple in a widening criminal probe.

Kim was formally booked into the Seoul Nambu Detention Center on the western edge of the capital, a comparatively new correctional facility that opened in 2011 and one of the few run by a female warden.

She will be treated in the same way as other inmates but will receive minor adjustments in her daily routine given her status as a high-profile figure, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Kim was imprisoned after a court approved a warrant for her arrest late on Tuesday on the grounds that she might destroy evidence amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of bribery, stock fraud and influence peddling.

Kim's lawyers have denied the accusations against her and dismissed as groundless speculation news reports about some of the gifts she allegedly received in return for favours.

Kim apologised for causing concern in the country and called herself "a nobody" as she appeared for questioning last week.

Her solitary cell has a small table that can be used as a desk and for eating meals and a floor mattress to sleep on, said the source, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Kim will have separate access to a common shower room and be allowed to exercise outdoors for an hour every day except on Sundays, the time staggered to avoid overlap with other inmates, the source said.

Prison will be an entirely new experience for Kim, unlike for her husband who has already spent about 100 days in jail.

Yoon is on trial over his botched attempt to impose martial law, on charges of insurrection, an accusation he denies. He has been imprisoned at the Seoul Detention Center, which despite its name is outside the capital to the south.

'Political mind'

The former first couple had lived in a spacious apartment in an upscale district of Seoul before Yoon's election as president in May 2022 and had returned there after his ouster for the martial law decree that resulted in a political disaster for him, his party and now for his wife.

Kim is a wealthy businesswoman in her own right and most of the couple's assets including the apartment belong to her, according to a government database.

Now, Kim will receive the same food as the average inmate, usually traditional Korean fare prepared at a cost of about 1,500 won ($1.08) per meal. On Wednesday, toast with strawberry jam, sausages and salad were on the menu for breakfast.

Kim had not eaten since late Tuesday and was not in good health, one of her lawyers told Reuters. It was unclear whether she would appear for questioning by prosecutors on Thursday, the lawyer said.

A fine art expert who founded and ran a successful curation agency, Kim has been embroiled in a number of scandals before and after her husband's election in 2022, with the controversies at times overshadowing Yoon's turbulent presidency.

Her fashion choices and policy lobbying in areas like promoting a ban on eating dog meat made her controversial in a country where a first lady has typically kept a low profile.

Han Dong-soo, a former judge and a prosecutor who worked with Yoon, said Kim had "a politically strategic mind" and was a driving force behind her husband's ascent to top office.

After she married Yoon when he was 52, Kim became the main influence of practically all of his thinking and decisions, Han said. Kim was 39 when they wed.

"Kim Keon Hee chose him," said Han. "And she gave him the strategy and energy to be president"