Journalists wearing prison uniforms experience the daily routine of an inmate during a media tour of correctional facilities at Anyang Prison in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province, April 19. Yonhap
The Ministry of Justice on Tuesday sought to defuse criticism over a 1.2 billion won ($784,616) plan to install air conditioning in prisons, clarifying the equipment will cool corridors, not inmates' cells.
The ministry framed the installation as a minimal measure to protect vulnerable inmates and correctional officers from extreme heat, while online critics condemned the taxpayer-funded project as an unfair convenience for criminals.
The Justice Ministry said the equipment will be installed in the corridors, not inside the cells, acting as an indirect cooling method to mitigate temperature increases throughout the prison.
"The system will help improve the working environment for both inmates and correctional officers," the ministry said in a statement.
