"Is This a Resort or a Prison?" Ministry of Justice Responds to Leak of Luxurious Rendering

Online Backlash Grows... Ministry of Justice: "Not True"
Created During Past Bidding Process, Now Removed

Photo suspected to be an aerial view of Hwaseong Women's Prison. Screenshot from an online community.

Amid ongoing controversy over an aerial rendering of Hwaseong Women's Prison that has been circulating online, the Ministry of Justice has stated that the image is not part of the actual design proposal. Instead, it explained that the image was a draft created by an architecture firm during a previous bidding process and not the final version.

Recently, a photo titled "A new women's prison being built in Hwaseong" has spread online. The building in the photo appears so upscale and luxurious that it resembles a resort or a university campus.

This has sparked a wave of criticism from netizens. Comments included, "Should a prison really be this luxurious?" "Take better care of the victims and their families," "Prisoners should feel discomfort when incarcerated," and "It shouldn't be a better environment than what ordinary citizens have."

However, it was revealed that this rendering was not the design that was actually selected. The Ministry of Justice recently announced plans to build three new correctional facilities—including Hwaseong Women's Prison, Gyeonggi Northern Detention Center, and Namwon Prison—by 2030, in response to a surge in the number of inmates.

According to a report from DongA.com on March 30, the Ministry of Justice clarified that the rendering circulating online is not the actual design for the new Hwaseong Women's Prison. The ministry explained that this image was produced by an architecture firm six or seven years ago during the bidding stage and was not the design that was ultimately chosen. The rendering has also since been removed from the architecture firm's website.

The Ministry of Justice further explained to DongA.com, "There is a separate rendering scheduled to be adopted, and it does not feature a luxurious design like the one that has caused controversy."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.