DAEGU, A prison in the southeastern city of Daegu was relocated for the first time in 52 years Tuesday, with heavily armed police guiding some 2,200 inmates to a newly built facility 18 kilometers away.
The Daegu Correctional Institution moved from its current location in Hwawon-myeon to the new facility in Habin-myeon after residents complained the prison was hindering local development by taking up space in the urban area of the town.
On Tuesday, the inmates were transported in some 30 buses to the new prison amid heavy security.
The police deployed some 300 personnel armed with stun guns and handguns loaded with live ammunition, along with squad cars, to prevent the convicts from breaking loose during the relocation.
Among the prisoners were Moon Hyung-wook, the creator of the notorious "nth room" chatrooms on Telegram, who received a 34-year prison term in 2021, and Kim Seong-soo, who was sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2020 for murdering a part-time worker at an internet cafe in Seoul.
The Ministry of Justice transfers some 2,200 prisoners of the Daegu Correctional Institution via bus to the new facility, located 18 kilometers to the north, on Nov. 28, 2023.
The new facility, whose construction began in 2014, consists of 28 buildings, including an emergency shelter for employees, and is equipped with a cutting-edge electronic security system.
The previous prison facility had an execution chamber, but it was removed during the relocation.
That left only three prisons or detention centers with execution chambers in South Korea: the Seoul Detention Center, the Busan Detention Center and the Daejeon Correctional Institution.
Source: Yonhap News Agency