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The government is pushing for the creation of a new prison in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. That's because Cheongju Women's Prison, a women-only prison, has exceeded its capacity, and residents in the Hwaseong area are protesting that there is a problem.

Reporter Kim Ji-wook covered the scene.

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Cheongju Women's Prison holds 800 people.

Although regular prisons have women's housing, this is the only one dedicated to women.

Violent criminals such as Lee Eun-hae in the so-called "Valley Murder Case" and Yu Yu-jung in "Jeju Ex-Husband's Murder Case" are all imprisoned here.

I've been to the only women's prison in the country, and I've got to see the prison with a prison guard.

The living room of inmates, which comes out after passing through the checkpoint and past the playground, is a space of about 6 pyeong, but apart from the toilet and the water stand, there is not much space left.

Currently, there are about twice as many people in the living room as there is capacity.

The female prison capacity rate in prisons nationwide is 124% in terms of capacity, especially in Cheongju Women's Prison, where it is 131%.

The blue name tag represents drug offenders, a recent surge.

[Noh Ji-hyun/Cheongju Women's Prison Prison Guard: We are in a situation right now where a lot of foreign prisoners, these drug offenders, and these inmates are being detained.]

Beyond the limits of acceptance, there is even a good bedtime turn, and violence is frequent.

[Noh Ji-hyun/Cheongju Women's Prison Guard: There are prisoners who have been punished now for fighting a lot over their living room luggage and even resorting to violence. Even if they want to install an additional water stand, there is very little space to sleep when they go to bed later....]

The guards' nerves are also on their toes.

[Lee Kyu-sung/Cheongju Women's Prison Director: If the conflict between prisoners increases, the staff will inevitably be nervous there. If that tension continues, it will be a direct stress....]

The National Human Rights Commission also recommended to the government last year that the problem of overcrowding of female prisoners should be addressed.

The Justice Department's priority is to build a new prison on Mars, Gyeonggi.

But residents rolled up their sleeves, protesting that there had never been a public hearing.

[Lee Yang-sub/Chairman of the Committee Against the Establishment of Additional Prisons: When I read the news about the plan to establish a new Hwaseong Women's Prison through the Secret Enforcement Administration, I cannot help but be saddened and outraged.]

The fact that there are already vocational training prisons and alien shelters in the area is also a reason to oppose additional correctional facilities.

This is the site where the Mars Women's Prison will be located.

The more than 10,000-square-foot area was used as a salt pan for prisoners to work in the past, but now it remains an empty piece of land.

The Ministry of Justice said there are no procedural issues such as obtaining approval for the location, but that it will proceed with consultations with residents to ensure smooth progress.

(Video Interview: Lee Sang-hak, Video Editing: Won Hyung-hee)

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Reporter Kim Ji-wook who covered
this story.

Q. What is the reality of women's prisons with your own eyes?

[Reporter Kim Ji-wook: I couldn't capture it on camera for security reasons, but let me tell you a little bit more about what I saw, When I first entered the prison, the inmates couldn't get into the playground and were standing in line like this in front of me. That's why if you go into the playground at once, there is no space to exercise, so you divide your time. Also, as I mentioned earlier, there is also a dragonfly rotation system. Because the space is so small, I have to sleep in front of the bathroom and in front of the door. Since everyone shunned, there were rules of their own for dividing the space in which they needed to sleep in a certain order.]

Q. What is the solution to the new Hwaseong Women's Prison?

[Reporter Kim Ji-wook: However, under the current law, there is no separate dialogue procedure other than listening to residents' opinions when obtaining site approval. However, in the case of Mars, the approval was dropped in 1996, and about 30 years later, the implementation design process is still taking place, so residents living there now are protesting. Let's hear the expert opinion.]

[Seo Jong-kook/Professor, Department of Urban Administration, Incheon University: Due to the delay in execution, nearby residents may not be familiar with this information. Shouldn't efforts be made to minimize damage through detailed consultation with residents.]

[Reporter Kim Ji-wook: Specifically, we can consider public hearings, residents' readings, and expert advice.]

(Video Interview: Lee Sang-hak, Video Editing: Lee Sung-Sung)