Prison guard sentenced to 7 years for smuggling burgers to gang member, taking bribes

A corrections officer who accepted 70 million won ($49,300) in bribes and gifts from a gang-affiliated inmate — and smuggled hamburgers and other contraband into a detention center in return — has been sentenced to prison.

Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 35, presided over by Chief Judge Baek Dae-hyeon, sentenced the officer, identified only as A, to seven years in prison and a fine of 150 million won on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes. The court also ordered the forfeiture of about 70 million won.

Inmate B, who paid the bribes, received a two-year prison sentence, while a lawyer who helped B deliver the payments was sentenced to one year.

A began cultivating a relationship with B in 2021, when B — a follower of a criminal organization based in northern Seoul — was assigned to the cell block A supervised at the Seoul Detention Center's security division.

Exploiting lax security screening of corrections staff, A smuggled in hamburgers, Buldak stir-fry sauce, Nike T-shirts and socks, and passed them to B.

In exchange, A received about 70 million won in gifts and entertainment over roughly three years and seven months — from October 2021 through May last year — including shoes and hotel stays paid on his behalf.

A also faced charges of leaking another inmate's personal information to B at B's request.

The court sharply criticized A's conduct. "The defendant, as a corrections officer, had a duty to rehabilitate criminals and maintain the highest standards of integrity, yet accepted bribes in exchange for providing favors to an inmate under his supervision," the court said. "The nature of the crime is extremely grave."

The court added that it was "self-evident that the fairness and integrity of corrections officers' duties — and of the criminal justice system as a whole — as well as public trust in them, have been gravely undermined," and said severe punishment was warranted.