Seoul heatwave: Detention centre flooded with calls demanding air-conditioning for Yoon

SEOUL - The Seoul Detention Centre, where

former president Yoon Suk Yeol is currently detained

, has been overwhelmed with calls from his supporters demanding the installation of air-conditioning for Yoon, The Herald Business reported on July 11.

Yoon’s die-hard supporters are mobilising online, sharing the detention centre’s phone, fax and e-mail details on social media to pressure officials.

Some have even circulated sample faxes, calling his conditions “no different from murder” and pledging to alert the international community.

The calls have made it difficult for others to contact the centre. A Herald reporter encountered multiple busy signals and waited over 10 minutes to speak with a staff member, the report said.

A detention centre official said most inquiries are about air-conditioning and medical care, but noted that details about facility infrastructure cannot be disclosed for security reasons.

Yoon was re-detained early on July 10, returning to Seoul Detention Centre after 124 days.

He will stay in the 6.6 sq m solitary cell while on trial over allegations of power abuse and leading an insurrection. Like other cells, his has no air-conditioning – only a ceiling fan that runs in 50-minute cycles – along with basic furnishings and a surveillance camera.

The former leader was

ejected from power on April 4

in a unanimous Constitutional Court decision, following months of political chaos triggered by his

brief imposition of martial law on Dec 3, 2024

.

He is now

standing criminal trial

and faces multiple investigations into alleged wrongdoings during his time in office. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK