"'Notorious Prison Escapee' Shin Chang-won Attempts Extreme Suicide Again... No Threat to Life"

Prison Duty Officer Found... Taken to Emergency Room
Second Incident Following 2011 Suicide Attempt

Shin Chang-won (56), a life prisoner who was called the "notorious escapee" after committing over 100 robberies and thefts while on the run for 2 years and 6 months following a prison escape in the 1990s, attempted suicide and was taken to the emergency room.

According to a report by the Chosun Ilbo on the 22nd, Shin attempted the extreme act around 8 p.m. on the 21st in his cell at Daejeon Prison. He was discovered by a prison staff member on duty and was immediately transported to a hospital, where it was reported that his life was not in danger. Shin is currently receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of a university hospital in Daejeon, and the Ministry of Justice is reportedly investigating the reasons behind his suicide attempt.

The appearance of Shin Chang-won at the time of his arrest in 1999
[Image source=Yonhap News]

In March 1989, Shin broke into a house in Donam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, stole valuables worth over 30 million won, and stabbed the homeowner to death with a weapon. He was arrested in September of the same year and sentenced to life imprisonment for robbery and manslaughter. He was incarcerated in Seoul Detention Center, North Gyeongbuk Prison, and Busan Prison.

While serving his sentence for eight years, Shin escaped from Busan Prison in 1997. During prison labor, he sawed the bathroom iron bars for 20 minutes a day over two months using a small saw blade fragment he obtained. He then climbed down the building’s exterior ventilation shaft and used a rope he found at a construction site to scale the prison wall.

Afterward, Shin continued his escape for 2 years and 6 months, traveling over 40,000 km, funding his flight by robbing vacant houses and other places. He evaded police pursuit six times just before his capture. Nicknamed the "notorious escapee," Shin became a sensational figure, even becoming the first criminal to have an internet fan cafe created for him. However, his long escape ended in July 1999 when he was caught in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, following a tip from a gas repairman. The colorful T-shirt Shin wore at the time of his arrest became known as the "Shin Chang-won T-shirt" and was once a trend. Subsequently, he received an additional sentence of 22 years and 6 months.

This is Shin’s second suicide attempt. In August 2011, he also attempted suicide at North Gyeongbuk Prison but was discovered by a patrolling prison officer and transferred to a nearby hospital.