"Kim Gilsu, Typical Method... Escape Was Predictable"
"Hard to Blame Only the Prison Guards, System Needs Improvement"
Kim Gilsu (36), who was imprisoned on charges of special assault and escaped while receiving hospital treatment, was captured on the third day of his escape on the 6th. Kim showed meticulousness by changing clothes several times or altering his hairstyle while moving around various places in Gyeonggi-do and Seoul, including Uijeongbu. He was caught after contacting his lover via a public phone, and the police arrested Kim around 9:25 p.m. that night in Uijeongbu.
Fortunately, Kim was caught three days after his escape, but there are criticisms regarding inadequate management of inmates under treatment and initial response. Kim, who was imprisoned at Seoul Detention Center, swallowed the handle of a spoon and was receiving hospital treatment when he escaped by taking advantage of a moment when his handcuffs and other protective equipment were temporarily removed to use the restroom.
Experts say that swallowing a foreign object and escaping by using the restroom while receiving treatment at an external medical facility is a typical method used by escapees. This means that from the moment Kim showed sudden behavior such as swallowing a foreign object, strict surveillance should have been maintained with the possibility of escape in mind. However, there are also voices calling for systemic improvements regarding the situation where correctional officers have to monitor inmates outside the detention facility.
Professor Lee Woonghyuk of Konkuk University's Department of Police Science pointed out the failure of initial response regarding Kim's capture three days after his escape from the hospital where he was receiving treatment. In an interview with SBS Radio, Professor Lee said, "(Kim) escaped, and there was a delay of about 50 minutes until the 112 emergency call," adding, "It seems the correctional authorities tried to handle it themselves, but that became the decisive cause of the delay in capture."
It was identified that the correctional authorities monitoring Kim reported to 112 around 7:20 a.m. on the 4th, about an hour after Kim escaped. Afterward, Kim continued his escape for three days, moving between Gyeonggi-do and Seoul to evade police pursuit, until he was captured in Uijeongbu on the night of the 6th.
Regarding the delay in Kim's capture, Professor Lee said, "The failure of the Ministry of Justice's escort is clear." He pointed out, "Swallowing a foreign object naturally causes abdominal pain, and the correctional authorities had no choice but to allow outpatient treatment. Then escaping by using the restroom is a typical method," adding, "The possibility of escape was fully foreseeable. Since such cases are quite common, the correctional authorities should have thoroughly escorted him."
However, there are also calls for improvements in the system where correctional officers must manage and supervise inmates at external facilities, not just in prisons. Profiler Bae Sanghoon said in an interview with KBS Radio, "In the past, prisoner transport was entrusted to the police, not Ministry of Justice personnel, but due to adjustments in investigative authority between prosecution and police, correctional officers have taken over," adding, "However, correctional officers are people who manage inmates inside prisons, not specialists in tracking."
Profiler Bae suggested as an improvement, "A specialized force for escapees, like the US Marshal federal security system in the United States, is needed," adding, "When there is an external trip or separate transport, it is necessary to deploy personnel suitable for that. Currently, the law demands responsibility, but the system is structured so that it cannot actually bear responsibility."
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