SOUTH KOREA Demographic winter: the number of inmates aged 60 and over double in South Korea

The number of older inmates rose from 2,801 to 6,504 between 2014 and 2023, from 8.4 per cent to 17.1 per cent. For South Korea’s political class, this emergency is a low priority because it is not a vote-getter; yet, the system risks collapse from inaction. The aging inmate population is also reflected in the aging of prison guards, three quarter of whom are aged 40 and 50.Read More