[Angry Confirmed Cases] 33 Additional Lawsuits Today from Dongbu Detention Center Inmates and Families

On the afternoon of the 6th, an inmate at the Eastern Detention Center in Songpa-gu, Seoul, showed a paper to reporters outside the window that read, "Please let the confirmed patients have warm meals." [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin] “The detention center staff did absolutely nothing. They wouldn’t treat even dogs or pigs like this.”

“Even after testing positive and being placed in solitary confinement, there was no management at all. I was terrified, thinking I might die.”

As complaints from inmates and released prisoners continue over the Seoul Dongbu Detention Center’s inadequate COVID-19 response, lawsuits seeking state compensation are expanding.

On the 29th, lawyer Park Jin-sik of the law firm Between stated, “We plan to file a complaint this afternoon at the Seoul Central District Court on behalf of seven inmates and released prisoners who tested positive at Dongbu Detention Center, along with 33 family members.”

The compensation claims are set at 20 million KRW for the confirmed patients themselves, 2 million KRW for spouses, parents, or children, 1 million KRW for siblings, and 500,000 KRW for cohabiting nephews or nieces.

Lawyer Park also filed a lawsuit on the 20th on behalf of two inmates and nine family members. As more inmates and families express their intention to sue through a portal-based online community, additional lawsuits are expected to follow.

A released prisoner from Dongbu Detention Center participating as a plaintiff in this lawsuit, Mr. A, said, “Even after confirmed cases appeared, we couldn’t see any medical staff. They only checked our temperature via intercom and made us fill out a questionnaire every morning.”

He added, “When I complained of muscle pain, headaches, and chills, they only gave me two painkillers and anti-inflammatory pills.” Mr. A is currently suffering from severe aftereffects, including loss of smell and taste and persistent headaches.

Another released prisoner, Mr. B, said, “Even on my release date, I was detained without any notice. I requested to be transferred to a general treatment center, but the staff told me ‘there’s nothing we can do.’ I was forced to sign a consent form stating, ‘I apply for temporary isolation at Dongbu Detention Center and agree to subsequent handling of my custody.’”

Mr. B also said, “Masks were not properly distributed even after confirmed cases occurred. The cloth masks available for purchase were in such poor condition that the seams inside the mask would poke my nose and mouth.”

The family member of a confirmed inmate, Mr. C, said, “I received a text from Dongbu Detention Center saying my family member tested positive and is in isolation. The message said, ‘They are isolated in a separate space according to quarantine authority guidelines and are managed 24 hours a day at a level equivalent to an external life treatment center.’ But after reading the letter, it turned out they just made a life treatment center on the 8th floor and left them there without any medical staff visiting. They only asked through the intercom, ‘Are you feeling any pain?’ and gave medicine once in a while. That’s all.”

Meanwhile, lawyer Park added former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae as a defendant in addition to the Republic of Korea (represented by Minister of Justice Park Beom-gye) in this lawsuit, citing her as the fundamental cause of the worsening situation. He is also planning a class-action lawsuit on behalf of ordinary citizens who suffered mental damages due to former Minister Choo.

Lawyer Park said, “Choo Mi-ae, a political minister, disrupted the country by trying to block investigations into the administration under the pretext of prosecutorial reform and targeting Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, neglecting her duties, which led to this human-made disaster. We plan to monitor the investigation results against Choo and gather plaintiffs among the general public for a class-action lawsuit regarding the nationwide stress and inconvenience caused by the so-called ‘Choo-Yoon conflict.’”

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