Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Korea Correctional Service

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit

The Korea Correctional Service (Korean: 교정본부; 矯正本部) is the corrections agency/prison service of South Korea. An agency of the Ministry of Justice, it is headquartered in Building #1 of the Government Complex-Gwacheon in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do in the Seoul metropolitan area.

Contents

The agency uses an anthropomorphic bear, "Borami," as its mascot. Borami, based on Korean foundational myth, was introduced in 2002.

Demographics

As of 2007, there were 2,431 women incarcerated in the South Korean prison system, making up 5.3% of all of the prison inmates; Bitna Kim, Jurg Gerber, and Yeonghee Kim of Sam Houston State University wrote that therefore "these incarcerated women have not been a matter of much popular or scholarly concern and interest in South Korea."

The females are held in 10 detention centers, one long-term prison for women, one juvenile correctional center, for correctional center branches, and a vocational training correctional center as of 2007.

As of 2005 prisoners who are members of the U.S. military (U.S. military members convicted of serious crimes by local South Korean courts) are generally held at Cheonan Juvenile Correctional Institution. As per an agreement between the U.S. and South Korea they are held one to a cell, separated from South Korean prisoners, given Western cuisine supplied by U.S. Forces Korea, and are not required to perform hard labor that is mandatory for South Korean prisoners.

Centers

There are 11 pre-trial detention centers and 37 correctional centers; the latter includes one women's prison, one juvenile institution, one private prison, two centers for vocational training, and one open prison.

Pre-trial detention centers:

  • Chungju Detention Center
  • Daegu Detention Center - A high-rise building
  • Incheon Detention Center - A high-rise building
  • Seoul Detention Center - Opened in July 1967, it was the first pretrial detention center in South Korea
  • Suwon Detention Center - A high-rise building
  • Ulsan Detention Center - A high-rise building
  • Correctional centers:

  • Cheongju Women's Correctional Institution (청주여자교도소) - The only long-term prison for women in South Korea
  • Includes female vocational training
  • Daegu Correctional Institution
  • Includes female vocational training
  • Hwaseon Correctional Institution
  • Pohang Correctional Institution
  • Somang Correctional Institution - Private prison
  • Yeoju Correctional Institution
  • Includes female vocational training
  • Kimcheon Juvenile Correctional Institution
  • References

    Korea Correctional Service Wikipedia