Number of inmates granted early parole rises on prison overcrowding: lawmaker

SEOUL, Oct. 18 (Yonhap) -- The number of inmates released on parole before serving 60 percent of their full sentence has increased due to prison overcrowding, a lawmaker said Sunday.

A total of 634 inmates who had served less than 60 percent of their full sentence were granted early parole in the January-August period, Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the main opposition People Power Party said, citing justice ministry data.

The figure is around 3.7-fold bigger than the annual total of 172 in 2025, according to the lawmaker.

The number of inmates who were released before fulfilling 60 percent of their sentence remained below 40 between 2022 and 2024 but sharply jumped last year.

The increase was attributed to overcrowding at prisons across the country. As of the end of August, correctional facilities were operating at 126.2 percent of their capacity, compared with 122.1 percent in 2025, the data showed, according to Joo.

To lower the rate, the justice ministry has been expanding early paroles for elderly and sick inmates who were deemed to have a low risk of reoffense.

The ministry has said it plans to increase the number of early paroles by 30 percent on-year.

Joo called for preventive measures to protect the public from the possibility of additional crimes.

"The government is shifting the responsibility of handling the risk of reoffense to the public due to overcrowding at correctional facilities," he said. "Public safety should be prioritized through measures, such as a complete suspension of early parole for inmates who committed serious crimes and strengthening management of electric anklets."