Kim Hyungsoo, Buk-gu Council Member, Calls for Complete Reconsideration of Gwangju Detention Center Reconstruction Project

Adjacent to Educational and Recreational Facilities... Site Deemed 'Unsuitable' for Detention Center

There has been a call for a complete reconsideration of the construction project for the 'Gwangju Detention Center,' a correctional facility intended to house unsentenced detainees in the Honam region.

According to the Buk-gu District Council of Gwangju City on the 6th, council member Kim Hyungsoo (Yongbong, Maegok, Samgak, Ilgok-dong) raised this issue during a '5-minute free speech' at the first plenary session of the 300th temporary meeting, criticizing Buk-gu District Office for its complacent response.

Hyungsoo Kim, Member of Bukgu Council, Gwangju. Provided by Bukgu Council

The project, promoted by the Ministry of Justice, plans to build the facility in Ilgok-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, with a total floor area of 36,686 square meters, a capacity of 900 inmates, and a total project cost of 119.3 billion KRW, aiming for completion in 2028.

Kim stated, "The planned site for the new Gwangju Detention Center is adjacent to large apartment complexes, educational institutions and facilities for infants, children, and youth, as well as playgrounds, making it unsuitable for a detention center." He added, "Even the Korea Development Institute's '2023 Project Plan Adequacy Review Report' evaluated both internal factors such as policy consistency and external factors such as residents' attitudes, ultimately reaching a negative conclusion."

He continued, "Back in 2022, during the 275th temporary meeting's 5-minute free speech, I raised the issue of 'complete reconsideration of the new Gwangju Detention Center site.' However, the relevant departments have yet to even fully grasp the situation, let alone make any progress, and continue to display a complacent attitude and engage in desk-bound administration."

Kim emphasized, "Despite the fact that this issue is directly related to the lives of Buk-gu residents, the district office's complacent work attitude must change." He added, "Going forward, I hope Buk-gu will be more proactive and prudent in handling matters related to the construction of the new detention center."