The Tamesis
November 10, 2025
Seoul— Previous Head Of State Yoon Seok-yeol, presently apprehended at the Seoul Apprehension Facility for his unsuccessful effort to enforce martial regulation in December 2024, has actually obtained greater than 650 million won ($ 450,000) behind bars down payments over the previous 3 months.
Jail funds are utilized by detainees to purchase toiletries or various other needs while behind bars, yet the increase of down payments has actually elevated problems that the system – which is not very closely monitored – might have been utilized for various other objectives.
According to information sent by the Ministry of Justice to Park Eun-jung, a legislator from the tiny resistance Restoration Korea Celebration, Yoon got roughly 657.26 million won behind bars fund contributions in between July 10 and October 26.
A total amount of 12,794 purchases were transferred, approximately greater than 100 down payments each day, making Yin the biggest recipient of down payments from prisoners at the apprehension facility.
According to Oriental regulation, the optimum equilibrium a detainee can utilize as a jail down payment is 4 million won. Any type of down payments over this limit can be obtained upon launch or moved to an individual checking account upon demand.
According to information offered by the division, Mr. Yoon took out a total amount of concerning 651 million won in 180 purchases.
Onlookers claim the existing jail financing system is prone to abuse as a result of an absence of disclosure and tax obligation enforcement.
While the quantity readily available is restricted, there is no restriction on the overall quantity that can be obtained or the variety of down payments, efficiently enabling continual down payments and constant withdrawals.
Although prison bonds are practically taxed, enforcement is very little as a result of the state Division of Profits’s minimal capacity to gather information on jail purchases.
The National Setting up is presently examining a suggested change to the Inheritance and Present Tax Obligation Act that would certainly offer the NTS the power to demand in-depth deal documents from correctional establishments, yet it is vague when the regulation will certainly be passed.
Rep. Park thinks that “the jail down payment system was initially presented to enhance the benefit of detainees and has really been changed right into a political fundraising network,” although she did not offer any kind of instances of jail funds being utilized for political objectives.
” There appears to be an immediate demand for institutional reforms, such as establishing restrictions on down payment quantities, to avoid misuse that breaks the initial intent of the system,” Parker worried.
Yin is not the very first individual to obtain large amounts of jail cash. In 2023, it was reported that Jung Kyung-shim, the better half of Cho Kook, the owner of the Korea Restoration Celebration, was apprehended and put behind bars for imitation and economic criminal activities from completion of 2020 to February 2023, throughout which she got a jail down payment of 240 million won.
Previous very first girl Kim Gun-hee, that is being held at the southerly Seoul Apprehension Facility on uncertainty of supply adjustment and disturbance in political elections, got roughly 22.5 million won in between August 12 and October 26. Kim Kun-hee took out roughly 18.56 million won via 18 purchases throughout the exact same duration.
Adhering To Yoon Eun-hye on the checklist of leading down payment receivers at the Seoul Apprehension Facility are Rep. Kwon Sung-dong of the primary resistance Individuals’s Power Celebration, that is implicated of getting unlawful political funds, and Marriage Church leader Han Hak-ja, that deals with fees of unlawful political contributions.
Kwon has actually obtained roughly 16.6 million won and took out 16.44 million won given that he was put behind bars on September 16, and Han has actually obtained roughly 5.64 million won and took out 1.14 million won given that being apprehended on September 23.
