The two faces of Cheolongseong Prison: broken security and inmates' unreasonable claims > News

The disappearance of 100 rounds of live ammunition that occurred at Daejeon Prison raises serious questions about the security posture of correctional facilities. This incident, which was revealed during a comprehensive audit by the Ministry of Justice, became known to the world because the amount recorded in the ledgers did not match the number of ammunition actually stored in the armory. Currently, the Ministry of Justice is deploying a large-scale investigation team led by the head of the Corrections Headquarters Security Policy Division to focus on determining the circumstances, leaving open all possibilities, from the possibility of external leaks to simple administrative errors. As weapons are the last means of ensuring the safety of correctional facilities, it must be clearly revealed whether this loss was a simple recording error or a fatal hole in the internal management system.

On the other hand, the actions of Jang Dae-ho, who is serving a life sentence for the 'Han River Body Incident', symbolize the inmates' provocative exercise of their rights against the correctional system. Dae-ho Jang filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, claiming that the prison warden had accessed his mail without permission, and when this was dismissed, he filed another administrative lawsuit and continued his legal battle. The court dismissed his claim, ruling that it was a simple administrative error that occurred in the course of performing his duties and that there was no intention to violate human rights. In the past, he has constantly filed lawsuits regarding restrictions on prison life, such as restrictions on TV viewing, which seem to be aimed at testing the administration of correctional authorities rather than reflecting on his crimes.

The core of the two incidents is the tense relationship between ‘management rigor’ and ‘procedural legitimacy’ within correctional facilities. The loss of live ammunition revealed the incompetence in security caused by the inadequacy of the internal system, and Dae-ho Jang's lawsuit clearly demonstrates how detainees' rights claims can exhaust administrative power. In particular, despite thousands of complaints filed by inmates every year, only a very small number of cases are actually recognized as human rights violations, which is something our society needs to worry about. In places where strict management and supervision according to laws and principles is required, administrative mistakes occur, and the vicious cycle of further lawsuits under the pretext of this is a factor that erodes trust in correctional administration.

The Ministry of Justice announced its intention to fully investigate the management of weapons and ammunition in correctional facilities across the country in the wake of the loss of live ammunition. This should go beyond simple follow-up measures and serve as an opportunity to correct the lax discipline of correctional facilities. At the same time, it is urgent to establish sophisticated administrative standards that distinguish between protecting the human rights of prisoners and malicious abuse of litigation by criminals. Just as the investigation team is tracking the whereabouts of 100 live rounds, the authorities' will to filter out those who abuse the boundaries of the law and establish a fair order within correctional facilities is also more important than anything else.