No thanksgiving food offered to ex-first couple in jail

Then-President Yoon Suk Yeol and then-first lady Kim Keon Hee celebrate the Chuseok holiday in this video message released in 2023. Courtesy of the Presidential Office

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife, Kim Keon Hee, spent their first Chuseok in jail without any special meal, according to the Ministry of Justice, Monday.

Until last year, the ministry's Korea Correctional Service provided inmates with special meals during the mid-autumn harvest festival that falls on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, as well as during the Lunar New Year, in accordance with the Enforcement Decree of the Act on Execution of Sentences and Treatment of Inmates.

Due to budget cuts for special meals in prisons this year, however, the agency stopped offering special food during Chuseok and the Lunar New Year.

Former President Yoon Suk Yeol attends a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, Sept. 26. Joint Press Corps

As a result, Yoon again missed a special meal during a traditional festival. He spent this year's Lunar New Year in a detention center in January, before he was temporarily released in March before being detained again in July.

On Thursday, however, the Seoul Detention Center, where Yoon is held, provided inmates with rice cakes donated by a non-governmental organization. The Southern Detention Center of Seoul, where Kim is imprisoned, plans to offer apples, bananas and rice cakes from civic groups later this week.

During the National Foundation Day on Oct. 3, the Seoul Detention Center distributed bags of chestnut snacks, while the Southern Detention Center provided coffee and doughnuts. Each facility will offer sliced cake and sweets, respectively, during Hangul Day, Oct. 9.

Additionally, both centers allowed inmates outdoor exercise for a day during the extended holiday, although detention centers generally ban outdoor exercise on weekends and holidays.

Inmates can also watch live broadcasts of KBS, MBC, SBS and EBS between 9:15 a.m. and 9 p.m. from Oct. 3 to 9. The former first couple can therefore watch films including "Back to the Future 2," "Les Miserables" and "In the Mood for Love."

Yoon and Kim are the first former presidential couple to stand trial while being detained.

The former president was detained over an insurrection allegation following his failed martial law declaration last December. The former first lady was arrested in August on charges including stock price manipulation and bribery.

On Thursday, Kim sent a message to her supporters through her lawyers visiting the Southern Detention Center.

"Without your letters and support, I could not have endured this long, dark tunnel," her message said. "I hope you have a happy Chuseok holiday. I will always pray for you."