According to data released by the South Korean Ministry of Justice on April 1, former President Yoon Suk Yeol has received over 1.2 billion won (approximately RMB 5.5 million) in his prison commissary fund during eight months of detention, an amount roughly 4.6 times the annual salary of current President Lee Jae-myung. Lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party have criticized the situation as "absurd" and called for institutional reforms.
Prison commissary funds are used by inmates to purchase daily necessities such as toiletries, and anyone can deposit money into an inmate's account. Under current regulations, there are no limits on the number or total amount of deposits, though inmates are restricted to spending no more than 4 million won (approximately RMB 18,000) while incarcerated. Any surplus can be withdrawn during detention or upon release.
Data submitted by the Ministry of Justice to Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min shows that from Yoon's re-arrest in July of last year through March 15, his commissary fund accumulated over 1.2 billion won. During this period, Yoon made 358 withdrawals, averaging 1.4 per day. His wife, Kim Keon-hee, received approximately 97.4 million won (about RMB 445,000) in her commissary account from August of last year through March 15.
"An absurd situation is unfolding where Yoon Suk Yeol, the leader of an insurrection, is benefiting from a luxurious inmate deposit fund system," Kim Yong-min said. He called for institutional reforms to prevent commissary funds from becoming a means of enriching criminals.
The Seoul Central District Court announced in February that Yoon had been found guilty of leading an insurrection and sentenced to life imprisonment in the first trial. Kim Keon-hee was sentenced in January to one year and eight months in prison in the first trial of her corruption case involving bribery and stock price manipulation charges.
With South Korea's local elections approaching in June, the Yoon case is expected to remain a focal point of political contention, with continued negative implications for the main opposition People Power Party.
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