Seoul Dongbu Detention Center Cumulative Confirmed Cases Reach 762... First Death Reported

On the 29th, when the number of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 increased to over 1,000 again after three days, medical staff were collecting samples at the temporary screening clinic at Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul. The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that 1,046 new domestic confirmed cases were reported as of midnight that day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] A mass infection of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) occurred at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, and the first death has been reported.

The situation is worsening as a large number of confirmed cases have emerged among inmates transferred from Dongbu Detention Center to other correctional facilities.

According to the Ministry of Justice and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on the 29th, one inmate who tested positive for COVID-19 at Dongbu Detention Center died while receiving treatment.

The deceased was confirmed to be Yoon Chang-yeol (66), the main culprit in the "Good Morning City sales fraud" case. Yoon was serving a 4-year and 6-month prison sentence confirmed in June 2018 for fraud and was incarcerated at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center. He tested positive for COVID-19 during the second full-scale screening on the 23rd. Yoon, a severe dialysis patient with poor health, was released on suspension of sentence execution on the 24th and received treatment at an external hospital. However, he ultimately passed away on the morning of the 27th.

The cumulative number of confirmed cases related to Dongbu Detention Center has risen to 762, the largest number in a single facility during this COVID-19 outbreak. After one staff member was first confirmed positive on the 27th of last month, a total of 15 people, including 14 staff members and one released inmate, were infected by the 15th of this month. Subsequently, Dongbu Detention Center conducted three rounds of full-scale testing. As of this day, a total of 762 people have been confirmed positive.

The Ministry of Justice transferred inmates who tested negative twice to relieve overcrowding to Nambu Prison (85 people), Yeoju Prison (30 people), and Gangwon Northern Prison (60 people). However, among the 85 inmates transferred to Nambu Prison, 16 tested positive for COVID-19 on this day. One confirmed case was also reported among inmates transferred to Gangwon Northern Prison.

It was also revealed on this day that inmates who tested positive at Dongbu Detention Center had appeared at Seoul Central District Court and Dongbu and Bukbu District Courts.

Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae, responsible for correctional facilities, visited Dongbu Detention Center for the first time on this day to conduct an on-site inspection. Minister Choo stated, "To prevent further spread of COVID-19, it is important to separate confirmed and non-confirmed inmates and reduce the occupancy rate," and discussed measures such as dispersing non-confirmed inmates to other institutions and expanding parole for model prisoners.

The Ministry of Justice actively recommended suspension of detention or sentence execution for confirmed cases, and inmates for whom suspension was granted were to be housed at the National Defense Language Institute Living Treatment Center in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. Additionally, non-confirmed inmates were to be promptly transferred to other correctional facilities such as Gangwon Northern Prison and the newly built Daegu Prison to continuously reduce the occupancy density at Dongbu Detention Center.

Furthermore, to lower the occupancy rate of correctional facilities, the Ministry plans to expand parole by lowering the screening criteria for vulnerable individuals with weak immunity and model prisoners.

Meanwhile, criticism continues that the response by Minister Choo and the Ministry of Justice to this situation was inadequate. In particular, as the number of confirmed cases related to the detention center continues to rise, there are ongoing allegations that the Ministry of Justice missed the timing and method of full-scale testing.

In response, the Ministry of Justice explained in a "press release" that it raised the necessity of full-scale testing of inmates on the 14th but missed the timing due to opposition from Seoul City and Songpa District. Seoul City rebutted, stating, "The full-scale testing was a matter agreed upon after sufficient consultation among four institutions, and we regret the Ministry of Justice's attitude of unilaterally shifting responsibility to Seoul City and Songpa District with inaccurate facts."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.