Korean prison overcrowding pushes guards to 'breaking point'

A correctional officer stands among inmates at Jinju Prison in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, July 14. Korea Times photo by Chang Lian-cherng

Prison overcrowding across Korea remains unresolved, with correctional facilities operating at an average 126.4 percent of capacity in the first half of this year, the second-highest level since records began in 1991.

A single correctional officer assigned to direct inmate supervision now manages more than 100 inmates in cell blocks. A steady increase in inmates requiring specialized care, including those with mental health conditions and narcotics offenders, has compounded the operational strain and pushed officers to their limit.

The Ministry of Justice said Sunday the daily average inmate population at correctional institutions nationwide stood at 63,977 at the end of June, exceeding the official capacity of 50,614 by 13,363. The average occupancy rate reached 126.4 percent, already surpassing last year's average of 124.8 percent and marking the highest level since 2003, when it hit 132.9 percent.

A breakdown of individual facilities reveals a starker reality. Out of 55 correctional institutions nationwide, only five operate below 100 percent capacity. More than 80 percent are overcrowded, and 18 institutions are severely overcrowded, operating above 130 percent of capacity.

A chart generated by artificial intelligence shows nationwide prison occupancy rates

Seoul Detention Center, the country's largest, was operating at 149.8 percent of capacity. Incheon Detention Center stood at 145.4 percent, while Busan Detention Center recorded 149.5 percent. Daejeon Prison was at 143.2 percent and Gwangju Prison stood at 145.5 percent. In effect, these facilities are housing nearly 1.5 times their designed capacity.

Physical infrastructure exacerbates the crisis, as more than one in three facilities, or 37 percent, are aging structures more than 40 years old.

Graphs generated by artificial intelligence show design capacity against daily average population at the country's prison facilities, left, and recorded correctional incidents.

Prison overcrowding is not new. The challenge is the widening imbalance between personnel and capacity. With infrastructure stagnant as the inmate population rises, increasing occupancy rates are inevitable.

Current proposals include expanding parole. President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials to consider expanding the use of parole, but frontline personnel say they have yet to see any signs of meaningful change.

The burden of this overcrowding falls squarely on frontline correctional officers. As of the end of 2025, Korea's authorized correctional workforce stood at 16,762, an increase of only 921, or 5.8 percent, from a decade earlier. Of these, staff assigned to direct inmate supervision account for about 60 percent.

In contrast, the daily average inmate population rose from 56,495 to 63,680 during the same period, marking an increase of 7,185 inmates, or 12.7 percent. The growth rate of the inmate population is more than double the staffing increase.

An image generated by artificial intelligence shows a prison cell sleeping layout

Their duties extend well beyond basic guarding. Officers are tasked with handling administrative requests, providing day-to-day supervision, as well as preventing self-harm and suicide. Complicating matters, the number of inmates requiring heightened supervision, such as those with mental health conditions and drug offenders, is steadily increasing. Experts say moving beyond basic supervision to respond to psychiatric needs and emergency medical situations has become a daily routine.

A member of the Correctional Rapid Patrol Team looks inside a disciplinary cell through a bathroom window at Anyang Prison in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, July 15. Korea Times photo by Chang Lian-cherng

Prison guards say they are "at the breaking point." Others say they are barely getting by, constantly passing the risks from one shift or unit to another. Experts warn that correctional staff are being pushed to the brink by the compounding pressures of overcrowding, complex inmate demographics and severe staffing shortages.

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.