Ministry of Justice to Allow Visits at Correctional Facilities under Social Distancing Level 3 on Tuesdays and Thursdays Starting Tuesday, the 7th of Next Month

'Visitor Appointment Day System' to be Implemented from September 7

Signboard of the Ministry of Justice, Building 1, Government Gwacheon Complex.

[Asia Economy Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist Reporter] The Ministry of Justice has decided to allow visitors to have in-person visits at correctional institutions in areas where social distancing Level 3 is applied, every Tuesday and Thursday.

The Ministry of Justice announced on the 30th that it will implement the "Visitor In-Person Visit Day System" starting from the 7th of next month, allowing in-person visits, which had been replaced by phone calls, only on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week.

This measure by the Ministry of Justice was prepared to guarantee inmates' external communication rights and to alleviate some of the inconveniences faced by visitors.

Previously, on the 12th of last month, the Ministry of Justice replaced visitor in-person visits with phone calls at correctional institutions under social distancing Level 3 or higher, in accordance with national quarantine guidelines, to block the inflow of COVID-19 infections into correctional facilities along with the implementation of social distancing Level 4 in the metropolitan area.

This was an unavoidable measure to prevent COVID-19 mass infections, considering the vulnerability of correctional facilities to infectious diseases. However, as the social distancing levels have not been eased easily and the situation has prolonged unexpectedly, communication between inmates and their families inevitably faced difficulties.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "We will continue to strictly adhere to COVID-19 quarantine guidelines, but will appropriately adjust visitor visits according to the social distancing levels in the community, and do our best to ensure inmate-centered treatment of human rights."

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