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| South Korean army soldiers patrol along the barbed-wire fence in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, June 15, 2020. Korea has introduced breathing sensors in a new military prison to help prevent suicides. AP-Yonhap |
The government has introduced breathing sensors in a new military prison to help prevent suicides, an informed source said Tuesday, in the first installation of such equipment at a local correctional facility.
The military installed the domestically developed sensor in about 50 cells, including solitary confinement rooms, at the prison in Icheon, 80 kilometers south of Seoul. It is to officially open next month.
The sensors are designed to monitor inmates' breathing in real time and programmed to turn on warning lights and send an alarm if they breathe abnormally or stop breathing for a certain period of time
The introduction of the sensors came amid concerns that the current monitoring methods, such as having prison staff keep watch on inmates, have exposed limits and could potentially infringe on their human rights.
It marks the first time for a correctional facility in Korea, either civilian or military, to adopt such a sensor.
The new military prison has been constructed on a site right next to the existing Military Correctional Institution. (Yonhap)
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