THE government of South Korea describes Cheonan prison, south of Seoul, as “the world’s first specialised foreigner correctional facility”. It must also be one of the most humane, with its gallery of softly lit art and its designated smile zones (for guards and inmates alike). There are sing-alongs to Korean pop music, language classes over hot tea and snacks, and a library stocked with over 5,000 foreign books. Foreign lawbreakers are usually sent to the prison, which opened in 2010 (and also houses 700 South Koreans, in a separate wing). Yet the inmates embarking on its “Good Morning Korea” programme of cultural education typically serve short sentences before being deported.
Cheonan is the only prison in the country to offer halal food, as well as 30 minutes a day of TV programming in Chinese, English and Arabic (over two-thirds of the inmates are Chinese; Americans make up the second-largest group). Its wardens say they also hope the 600-odd prisoners, from 35 countries, can serve as “ambassadors for Korea” when they return home, armed with taekwondo philosophy and K-pop anthems. Some ex-convicts have left with...Continue reading
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