South Korea's Ministry of Justice on Tuesday defended its plan to install cooling equipment at correctional facilities, saying the system would be placed in hallways rather than inside cells, as public criticism mounted.
"The cooling equipment will be installed in the hallways of housing units, not inside the cells where inmates live, functioning as an indirect cooling system that mitigates the rise in internal temperatures," the ministry said in an explanatory statement released on the 2nd.
The ministry explained that the structure lowers the temperature of the entire housing unit through hallway cooling, which is expected to improve working conditions for correctional officers as well as benefit inmates.
The cooling equipment upgrades will primarily target housing units accommodating inmates vulnerable to heat-related illnesses, including the elderly, the disabled, and patients. Regarding the inclusion of some women's housing units, the ministry added that the decision was made "comprehensively considering overcrowding conditions, physical characteristics, and the housing environment."
The controversy erupted online after it was revealed that the Ministry of Justice would invest 1.2 billion won this year to upgrade cooling facilities at correctional institutions.
Opinions clashed sharply between those arguing that minimum cooling is necessary, given that cell temperatures exceed 34 degrees Celsius during summer heat waves and cases of heat-related illness have occurred, and those criticizing the use of taxpayer money to install air conditioners for criminals.
In response, the ministry stressed that "we have continuously pursued measures such as operating heat-relief shelters and providing bottled ice water to respond to heat waves and prevent heat-related illnesses," adding that "this cooling facility upgrade is the minimum necessary measure to protect the life and physical safety of inmates vulnerable to extreme heat."
