Former President Yoon Suk Yeol sits in the defendant's seat at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, during a first-instance sentencing hearing on charges including obstruction of special official duties, inducement to harbor a criminal and abuse of authority, on Jan. 16 this year. [Seoul Central District Court]
Former President Yoon Suk Yeol sits in the defendant's seat at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, during a first-instance sentencing hearing on charges including obstruction of special official duties, inducement to harbor a criminal and abuse of authority, on Jan. 16 this year. [Seoul Central District Court]

Lawyers for former President Yoon Suk Yeol have rebuffed rumors that he is at risk of going blind while detained, saying the claims are not true.

Yoo Jeong-hwa, an attorney representing Yoon and his wife, said on Facebook on Sunday that "the rumors about the president facing a blindness crisis that have been spreading recently are not true."

"It is true that his eye health is not good, but since his symptoms were severe in 2025, he has been consistently receiving treatment and is currently in a relatively stable condition," Yoo said, adding that claims the detention center has forcibly reduced his medication or restricted his treatment "are also not true."

Yoo also called "false" the claim that Yoon has been refusing to meet with his lawyers, saying he meets with them on days when there are no trial proceedings, receives full updates on the progress of his cases and actively discusses how to respond going forward.

"We are also doing our utmost to organize the cases and prepare legal responses by making the most of our limited visitation time," Yoo said, and went on to say, "We ask that unverified rumors not be allowed to spread unnecessary misunderstandings and concerns."

Earlier, attorney Kim Gye-ri, who previously served as one of Yoon's lawyers, said in August last year that Yoon suffers from diabetic retinopathy and had been unable to receive the necessary procedure for three months, raising the risk of blindness.

In response, the Ministry of Justice said in a press notice on Aug. 16 last year that "the claim of a blindness crisis does not reflect the facts." The ministry said it had permitted two external medical consultations related to the eye condition and was providing necessary medical care within the scope available to inmates.


betterj@heraldcorp.com