21 Additional COVID-19 Cases Confirmed Among Seoul Dongbu Detention Center Inmates, Total Cases Rise to 102

Seoul Eastern Detention Center. [Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seok-jin, Legal Affairs Specialist] An additional 21 inmates at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, where a COVID-19 cluster infection occurred, have tested positive.

On the 1st, the Ministry of Justice announced that 21 more inmates tested positive following PCR tests conducted on inmates in the affected housing units and close contacts at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center. As a result, the total number of confirmed cases at Seoul Dongbu Detention Center has risen to 102.

Additionally, the Ministry of Justice reported that 10 more inmates tested positive after conducting mass testing of all inmates at Incheon Detention Center. As of this day, confirmed cases at Incheon Detention Center include 45 inmates and 2 staff members. Among the confirmed inmates, 3 were transferred to Seoul Detention Center. The Ministry of Justice also stated that, following the previous day, non-infected inmates were urgently transferred from Incheon Detention Center.

The Ministry of Justice stated, "We will make every effort to respond thoroughly to quarantine measures and do our best to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within correctional facilities."

At Seoul Dongbu Detention Center, over 1,000 confirmed cases emerged from cluster infections between late 2020 and early last year. Currently, a civil lawsuit filed by inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 and their families against former Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae and others is underway.

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