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Disease control workers at the Seoul Eastern District Detention Center on Dec. 19. (Yonhap News)

Fears of infection clusters at correctional facilities are growing after 185 inmates at the Seoul Eastern District Detention Center tested positive for COVID-19. The situation has also triggered alarm for courts after it was discovered that infected inmates visited the Seoul Eastern District Court and the Seoul Northern District Court for trials.

On Dec. 20, the Seoul Eastern District Court said there had been “a proposal to change the dates for all criminal trials.” Some detained defendants who were infected with the virus at the Seoul Eastern District Detention Center were confirmed to have visited criminal courtrooms between Dec. 8 and 18, the court said.

“Most of the defendants who appear in court come from the Seoul Eastern District Detention Center. We’ve recommended rescheduling hearings for all criminal trials on the assumption that [infected individuals] have attended nearly all of them, and we’ve particularly requested the rescheduling of trial hearings planned for the next day,” said an official with the Seoul Eastern District Court.

After it was confirmed that several people infected with the novel coronavirus had appeared at criminal cases in the Seoul Northern District Court, the entire court building was fumigated on Dec. 20. Some of the infected individuals at the Seoul Eastern District Detention Center attended criminal trials in Room 501 of that court between Dec. 14 and 18, while others appeared in criminal trials in Room 301 and Room 302 on Dec. 15, 16 and 18.

“All the judges and employees who attended the trial during that period will be tested. Since there aren’t enough staff at the Seoul Eastern District Detention Center to escort the inmates, it will be difficult to proceed with our normal proceedings, not only in this case but in all cases except for the most urgent. Therefore, we have recommended rescheduling hearings, starting with those scheduled for the following day,” said an official from the Seoul Northern District Court.

Thus far, 3,557 people have been tested in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak at the Seoul Eastern District Detention Center. A total of 215 people have tested positive so far, including the index case, of whom 185 are inmates, representing about 7.6% of the total population of 2,419 people. In effect, eight out of 100 inmates have come down with the virus.

Former President Lee Myung-bak, who is incarcerated at the detention center, was notified that his COVID-19 test had come back negative.

At present, the Seoul Eastern District Detention Center has closed some of its facilities and mandated self-quarantine for those who came into contact with the infected individuals.

The first inmate to be infected was reportedly released on Dec. 14 after receiving an injunction from the court. Initially, only this individual’s close contacts were put into self-quarantine and tested; the entire prison population was not tested until Dec. 18.

By Joh Yun-yeong and Kang Jae-gu, staff reporters

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