By Kim Rahn
Shin Chang-won, an infamous prison escapee who was put behind bars again after two years of hiding, attempted to kill himself in his cell Thursday morning.
He is unconscious, correctional officers said.
According to officers of the prison in North Gyeongsang Province, the 44-year-old former fugitive was found hanging from a noose made with a rubber glove in his cell around 4:10 a.m. An officer found and rescued Shin who was then transferred to a hospital in Andong and is receiving emergency treatment.
Shin remains unconscious but is breathing on his own, a doctor of the hospital said.
“He was in critical condition when he first arrived, but his condition is improving. Since he suffered from hypoxia for a significant time, we have yet to determine the impact it had on his brain and what aftereffects he might suffer,” he said.
Correctional officers said Shin bought the rubber gloves last January to use when washing his clothes and the dishes.
A note was found in his cell which read, “I’m sorry.”
The officers said there was no indication of physical pain or mental instability. “We suspect he was quite shocked at his father’s death last month,” an officer said.
The hospital ward where the former fugitive is held is tightly guarded by correctional officers and policemen.
Shin was first jailed in March 1989 after being sentenced to life imprisonment for several burglaries including the one involving murder. He was transferred to a prison in Busan in November 1994, and escaped in January 1997 by cutting iron window bars of the toilet in his cell.
He became one of the most wanted men by police. For more than two years before being recaptured in July 1999, there were reports from all across the country that he was spotted, but police failed to catch him.
In December 1997, police almost caught Shin who was stealing money from a house in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, but he escaped by climbing up water pipes installed outside of the building. About a month later, he also tussled with a police officer in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, but disarmed the officer of his gun and fled.
Shin was finally arrested in July 1999 while hiding in an apartment in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, after a report by a television serviceman who visited the house.
An additional 22 and a half years was added to his original sentence.
He made headlines again in April last year when he filed a compensation suit against the state claiming the prison didn’t send out his letters. He won 1 million won in compensation.
In May last year, Shin was transferred to the current prison for ordinary prisoners from the one for felons for good behavior.