Suspicious Solitary Confinement Deal Allegations Involving Seoul Detention Center Officials

The police have detected signs of 'solitary confinement transactions' by officials at the Seoul Detention Center and have launched a large-scale investigation.

On the 28th, the National Investigation Headquarters' Major Crimes Investigation Unit announced that they conducted a search and seizure operation targeting the Ministry of Justice's Correctional Headquarters and the Seoul Detention Center starting at 9 a.m. that day.

This search is reportedly related to job-related corruption within the detention center.

According to the police, there are allegations that A, an official from the Ministry of Justice's Correctional Headquarters, received money from some inmates under the pretext of 'assigning solitary rooms.' The police stated that A is suspected of taking bribes from certain inmates.

In A's bank account, which was seized by the police, records show deposits of several tens of millions of won from multiple inmates.

Some of these inmates have reportedly been reassigned from 'shared rooms,' where multiple people reside, to 'solitary rooms.'

Typically, solitary rooms in correctional facilities are assigned based on punishment, health conditions, or the need for personal protection.

However, with the recent ongoing heatwave, some inmates preferred the relatively comfortable solitary rooms due to the hot weather, raising the possibility that money exchanged hands in the process.

Currently, most correctional facilities, including the Seoul Detention Center, lack air conditioning and are only equipped with fans.

The police conducted searches at the Security Division, which oversees room assignments, and other departments such as the Administration Division and Medical Division within the Seoul Detention Center, securing important evidence such as records of inmate room transfers.

Investigators plan to expand their inquiry into possible accomplices and comprehensively examine whether there was any tacit approval at the facility level through an analysis of the seized items.

Allegations of Broker Involvement and Institutional Corruption

It has been confirmed that brokers with ties to organized crime were also involved in this case.

Previously, on the 26th, the police apprehended two brokers with organized crime backgrounds for their involvement in the 'solitary confinement transactions' on charges of bribery.

The brokers are believed to have received money from inmates and transferred a portion of it to A.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Detention Center, referred to as the 'number one correctional facility' in South Korea, is the largest correctional facility in the country, with an area comparable to approximately 20 football fields.

While the law stipulates that inmates are to be assigned to solitary rooms, due to ongoing overcrowding, most inmates reside in shared rooms.

Currently, former President Yoon Suk-yeol, who is detained at the Seoul Detention Center, is living in a solitary room measuring 1.8 pyeong.

Image source: Seoul Detention Center / News1, stock photo for understanding the article / gettyimagesbank