Web Mastering, Webtoons, Baristas... Breaking Recidivism Through Economic Self-Reliance

Published 04 Feb.2026 15:50(KST)

Job stability is the best rehabilitation
Inmates can obtain qualifications in 49 categories

The Ministry of Justice is accelerating efforts to prevent recidivism by strengthening vocational training for inmates to help them achieve economic self-reliance. Through a wide range of vocational programs such as information and communications, web mastering, and webtoon production, there has been a growing number of cases in which former inmates go on to start their own businesses, find employment, or enter professional careers after release. The number of participants in vocational training and those obtaining qualifications is also increasing every year.

Mr. A completed an information and communications vocational training course while serving his sentence. After his release, he started a related business. He is now also working as a technical instructor at an educational institution. Mr. B received web master vocational training. After being released, he competed in the WorldSkills Competition and won a gold medal. He is currently serving as a judge at skills competitions. Mr. C received webtoon vocational training. After his release, he found a job at a related company and is building his career. Inmates who complete webtoon vocational training not only find ordinary employment but also go on to start their own businesses or debut as webtoon artists. Such cases are said to be on the rise.

Guided by the philosophy that "a job is the best form of rehabilitation," the Ministry of Justice is actively promoting vocational training for inmates. According to the Ministry of Justice, the number of participants in vocational training programs at correctional institutions reached 6,023 in 2025. This figure has been on an upward trend, increasing from 5,417 in 2021 to 5,635 in 2022, 5,624 in 2023, and 5,897 in 2024.

The results in terms of qualification acquisition are also notable. Among inmates who received vocational training, 3,532 obtained technical qualifications in 2025. This number has likewise been growing, from 3,070 in 2021 to 2,740 in 2022, 3,237 in 2023, and 3,515 in 2024.

At present, there are a total of 49 craftsman-level qualification categories that can be obtained through vocational training at correctional institutions. These include architectural painting, tiling, wallpapering, and welding. Confectionery and baking, barista, pet grooming, and cosmetology are popular as promising fields for starting a business. Webtoon and web master training help enhance inmates' competitiveness in the job market. Among these, the five categories with the highest share of qualification acquisition are in skilled technical fields. Architectural painting accounted for the largest share at 9.7 percent, followed by tiling (5.6 percent), hot-water ondol floor heating (5.4 percent), welding (3.5 percent), and confectionery (3.3 percent). These are qualifications that allow immediate deployment to worksites after release and, because the barriers to entry in the job market are relatively low, enable former inmates to quickly establish a foundation for self-reliance.

The Ministry of Justice is also strengthening cooperation with private companies to ensure that qualification acquisition leads to actual employment. Representative examples include "external commuting work," in which 183 inmates participate at 16 companies, and the "dormitory-type Hope Center," a community-based halfway facility. Through the "HUG Job Employment Support Program" and "Job-Seeker and Employer Meeting Day," employment agreements are concluded before inmates are released. An official from the Correctional Headquarters of the Ministry of Justice said, "Only when economic self-reliance is secured can the 'virtuous cycle of correction' be completed, in which individuals escape the temptation of crime and return as healthy members of society." Another Ministry of Justice official added, "We plan to actively utilize a talent pool of private-sector external expert instructors to improve the quality of vocational training."