592 cases of harmful acts against prison guards... Kim Ki-pyo: “Prison guards must also be protected.”

There were 592 cases of harmful acts targeting prison guards… Kim Ki-pyo: “Prison officers must also be protected.”

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Pyeong-cheon = There have been 3,024 complaints and accusations against correctional officials by correctional facility inmates over the past five years, but only one correctional officer has been indicted.

According to data submitted by the Ministry of Justice on the 26th by Rep. Kim Ki-pyo of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee of the National Assembly, there were 3,024 complaints and accusations by prisoners against prison guards from 2022 to June of this year, and the number of people accused was 6,161.

By year, there were 716 cases in 2022, 677 cases in 2023, 622 cases in 2024, 763 cases in 2025, and 246 cases in 2026 (until June).

Of these, 4,177 (67.8%) were dismissed, and 1,226 (19.9%) were acquitted. Combining the dismissed and acquitted cases, they accounted for 87.7% of the total accused.

There was 1 prison guard who was indicted, 14 were 'not guilty', 36 were 'no right to prosecute', 359 were 'under investigation', and 348 others.

There have been 592 cases of harmful acts in which inmates assault, intimidate, or threaten prison guards over the past five years.

There are 109 cases in 2022, 190 cases in 2023, 152 cases in 2024, 104 cases in 2025, and 37 cases in 2026 (until June).

Last March, an assault incident occurred in which an inmate made a commotion by swearing and singing through a window in the early morning, and shook his fist at a member of the riot squad who was dispatched. The employee suffered an abrasion to his forehead.

Last April, an inmate bit two employees and hit one employee with his knee in a specific area.

Rep. Kim emphasized, "The human rights and legitimate rights of prisoners must be thoroughly guaranteed, but at the same time, prison guards must also be protected from assault, threats, and excessive legal disputes." He added, "The Ministry of Justice must supplement the legal support and protection system to prevent their work from being undermined by being exposed to repeated accusations and accusations in the course of performing their legitimate duties."