Yoon Suk Yeol and Kim Geon-hee have received a total of approximately 2.19 billion won in inmate funds since their arrests. This amount is roughly eight times the annual salary of the president, which is about 270 million won.
On October 8, Lee Seong-yoon, a member of the Democratic Party, revealed during a National Assembly audit of the Ministry of Justice that Yoon has received about 1.95 billion won since his re-arrest on July 10 of last year, while Kim has received around 240 million won since her arrest on August 12 of last year.
Lee pointed out, "While the receipt of these funds is concerning, it is also troubling that correctional officers are being used like personal assistants to manage withdrawals." He also called for measures to impose gift taxes on these funds.
Seo Young-kyo, chair of the Legislative and Judiciary Committee, criticized the current system, which allows correctional facilities to hold only 4 million won of an inmate's funds, transferring any excess to the inmate's personal account. She questioned whether it is appropriate for correctional staff to manage and transfer large sums of money.
In response, Acting Minister of Justice Lee Jin-soo acknowledged the issue, stating, "There are concerns that the excessive deposits do not align with the original intent of inmate funds, and we are actively reviewing improvement measures."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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