A correctional officer at Korea’s solely non-public jail is beneath investigation for allegedly demanding 30 million received ($22,200) from trot singer Kim Ho-joong in change for serving to organize his switch to the power — a declare authorities say is fake.
The Ministry of Justice stated the officer, whose title was not launched publicly, may face disciplinary motion relying on the results of the probe.
Based on the ministry on Sunday, the Seoul Regional Correctional Headquarters is investigating allegations that the officer requested Kim for cash in September, saying, “I helped you get into Somang Correctional Establishment.” Kim rejected the request and reported the incident to a different jail officer, the ministry stated.
Kim, who was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in jail for a hit-and-run drunk driving incident in Seoul’s Gangnam District final Could, was initially held at Seoul Detention Heart earlier than being transferred to Somang Correctional Establishment in August. He was discovered responsible of inflicting the accident and having his supervisor flip himself in on his behalf.
The justice ministry confirmed that no cash modified fingers, and that the officer had no involvement in Kim’s switch. Kim was admitted by way of formal procedures, which embrace doc screening and interviews for eligible candidates when vacancies come up on the facility.
Situated in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, Somang Correctional Establishment was established in Dec. 2010 by a Christian basis, making it the nation’s solely privately operated jail. It homes as much as 400 inmates, and requires a separate software course of for transfers from different correctional amenities.
The officer didn’t maintain a place associated to inmate choice, in accordance with officers.
“The matter is being completely investigated, and we’ll take strict disciplinary measures based mostly on the findings,” the ministry stated.
This text from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Occasions, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Occasions.
