Paid pen pal service matching men with female inmates stirs controversy

A paid pen pal matching service that connects female prison inmates with members of the public has emerged, stirring controversy.

A document titled "correctional facility list" recently spread through online communities. It contained the names, facilities, birth years, heights and weights of individuals believed to be female inmates.

Some entries included descriptions of inmates' personalities or traits, such as "cute and kind," "girl crush," "bright and considerate" and "innocent-looking." At the top of the document, a price was listed: 70,000 won ($49) per person for a pen pal match, with three letters guaranteed.

The service appears to be run by a company that delivers goods to inmates and handles various tasks on their behalf — providing photos and personal details of female inmates to men seeking pen pals in exchange for a fee.

According to the company's website, the pen pal service is open not only to inmates but also to civilian men. Applicants post their preferred partner's age range, MBTI type, remaining sentence, appearance and personality on a request board, and the company matches them with a suitable female inmate.

For those seeking adult-oriented correspondence, the site instructs applicants to note that preference in their request. The company said it asks people to refrain from applying with impure intentions, adding, "The inmates inside are people just like anyone else."

Because letters exchanged by inmates are not in principle subject to routine censorship, some have raised concerns that private pen pal matching services may be exploiting a blind spot in correctional authorities' oversight.

Online, criticism has mounted against profiting from inmates in this way. Commenters reacted with remarks such as "Adult pen pals from prison — that's absurd," "Is it normal to make money off inmates' personal information?" and "Did she go to prison for being too nice?"