$49 to become pen pals with female inmates? Paid matching service stirs controversy in Korea
Cheongju Women's Prison / Korea Times photo by Cho So-jin
An apparent paid service that brokers pen pal connections with female prison inmates has sparked controversy in Korea amid suspicions that documents containing inmates' ages, physical characteristics and other personal information are being circulated for commercial purposes by companies offering services for prisoners.
A document titled "Correctional Facility List" recently circulated online. The list contains the names and ages of 56 female inmates, the prisons where they are incarcerated and physical information including their height and weight.
At the top of the document, a notice says, "Correctional pen pal matching: 70,000 won ($49) per person, with three letters from the matched woman guaranteed," suggesting that a paid service is being offered to arrange correspondence with the female inmates on the list.
A list of female inmates offered through a paid "pen pal" service circulates online. A notice at the top of the document says matching costs 70,000 won per person and guarantees three letters from the matched woman. Screenshot from an online community
The document also contains descriptions of the women's appearance and personalities, including "innocent-looking and curvy," "puppy-like personality" and "affectionate and kind." Other entries include phrases such as "majored in dance" and "former nurse," which could reveal information about the inmates' backgrounds. Some entries even list their MBTI personality types and celebrities they supposedly resemble.
The document is believed to have been created by a company that provides services for inmates, such as delivering goods or visiting them in prison on behalf of others.
Correspondence between inmates has long been practiced in Korea. Some inmates are said to form relationships through exchanging letters while incarcerated, with the person released first later providing support to the other inmate or depositing money into their prison account.
However, some are calling for restrictions on commercial businesses that broker such correspondence or distribute female inmates' personal information without their consent.
"These companies are so blinded by money that they are turning inmates' personal information into a commodity," one online user who saw the document said.
Another said, "Personal information should not receive less protection simply because someone is an inmate. Authorities first need to clearly determine the extent to which the individuals concerned consented to this."
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.