"Kim Gilsu's Escape, Difficult to Hold Prison Guards Accountable... Systemic Issues"

Profiler Baesanghoon KBS Radio Interview

Profiler Bae Sang-hoon (former professor of Police Administration at Woosuk University) advised that "a specialized fugitive pursuit force, such as the US Marshal federal security system, is needed," in relation to the fact that it took three days to capture Kim Gil-soo, who escaped during hospital treatment.

Profiler Bae said in an interview on KBS Radio's Choi Kang Sisa on the 7th, "Even if thousands of prison officers and riot police are mobilized, they are not specialized in tracking. They are just blocking the streets," adding, "Currently, tracking is mainly done through communication or cards, but the problem is how to track people who do not use cards, which is an ambiguous issue."

Kim Gil-su, who was imprisoned at Seoul Detention Center on charges of aggravated robbery and escaped while receiving hospital treatment, was apprehended on the afternoon of the 6th and is being transferred to Anyang Dongan Police Station in Gyeonggi Province. 2023.11.7 [Photo by Yonhap News]

He explained, "The law allows (prison officers) to track (fugitives) for up to 72 hours, but there is no one to do that," and "It takes 72 hours for the police to take over, so by then the fugitive has already fled far away."

However, Profiler Bae said, "This problem has arisen because we are currently in between the old system and the system that needs to be changed, so it needs to be reviewed and changed accordingly," adding, "You cannot place unlimited responsibility on a specific prison officer."

He continued, "In the past, prisoner transport was entrusted to the police rather than the Ministry of Justice personnel, but due to the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, prison officers have taken over," and "However, the number of prison officers who can be taken out for external duties is limited to about two or three. The problem is that 24-hour surveillance is required, but it is unrealistic to do this for several days with that manpower. There is a systemic problem."

He then said, "When there are external duties such as transport, it is a priority to allocate appropriate personnel accordingly. The law currently demands responsibility, but the system is actually unable to bear that responsibility," adding, "There is a need to review this issue."