Decision to Transfer Over 2,600 Inmates from Gyeongbuk Northern Prison Due to Massive Wildfire Spread (Update)

Unprecedented Inmate Transfers Due to Natural Disasters
Transfer of Andong Prison Inmates Also Under Consideration

A wildfire that started in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, spread to Cheongsong, prompting correctional authorities to decide to transfer inmates from Gyeongbuk Northern Prison (formerly Cheongsong Prison) for evacuation.

A fire caused by embers carried by strong winds from a wildfire occurred on the fourth day of the wildfire in Hahwa 1-ri, Danchon-myeon, Uiseong-gun, Gyeongbuk on the 25th. Photo by Yonhap News

According to the Ministry of Justice on the 25th, correctional authorities began the procedure to transfer inmates by bus to nearby correctional facilities after the wildfire spread to Jinbo-myeon, Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongbuk, where Gyeongbuk Northern Prison is located.

Gyeongbuk Northern Prison consists of Gyeongbuk Northern No.1 Prison, Gyeongbuk Northern No.2 Prison, Gyeongbuk Northern No.3 Prison, and Gyeongbuk Vocational Training Prison, with a total inmate population of about 2,600.

Correctional authorities are also considering transferring about 800 inmates from Andong Prison in Pungsan-eup, Andong, Gyeongbuk, where the wildfire has spread.

According to legal and correctional authorities, since the modern prison and detention center system replaced the prison system during the Japanese colonial period, cases of transferring inmates due to natural disasters are known to be extremely rare.