Inmate walks out of Cheonan prison front gate unchallenged; guards disciplined

Guards at Cheonan Prison in South Chungcheong Province received disciplinary warnings after an inmate walked out through the facility's front gate without being stopped.

According to the prison, the incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. on Aug. 10, when inmate A walked out the front gate while carrying luggage belonging to another prisoner who was being released that day.

An investigation found that A had offered to help carry the other inmate's belongings because there was too much for one person to handle, and in doing so passed through the front gate unchallenged.

The prison warden intervened and A was immediately returned to custody.

The Daejeon Regional Corrections Office recently issued formal warnings to the two guards who had been on duty at the front gate at the time.

The Ministry of Justice said the incident occurred because the guards had not sufficiently familiarized themselves with access control procedures, and pledged to strengthen on-the-job training to prevent a recurrence.