I’ve been holding onto this location, waiting for the right opportunity to share this location. I am lifting the embargo on this former prison as it has 1) already been shared publically in the media, and 2) My urbex colleague has visited a handful of times, and it hasn’t attracted negative attention yet. I will be even vaguer with whom I explored the prison and its location ( I even omit the province) to ensure its safety. This prison is up there with the Nightmare Lab in needing a higher level of discretion than usual.

Breaking in new hiking shoes, adventuring through mud and brambles to see an abandoned prison in November 2021.

An abandoned prison is a dream find for most urbexers, and to discover (and effortlessly) infiltrate this gem was a privilege. I remember Jon keeping tabs on an abandoned prison in the Seoul area years ago, but it seemed impenetrable. The last time I checked Kakao Maps, the former prison is now a grassy field. Sure, Korea has a fair amount of abandoned universities; I’ve also been inside a few abandoned police stations, but to explore a prison is a once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity. I understand why my cohort has been back at least six times; you never know when you’ll get this moment again.

The adorable teddy bear protectors of correctional justice.

The prison closed in 2015; The state transferred the inmates to a newer correctional facility nearby. You could easily spend a day at the place and not see the whole prison. I’ve been twice but only closely investigated a fraction of the penitentiary, certainly not the level of my friend who is keen to inspect left behind letters and scribble on the wall.

Numerous wings make up this prison. They varied in shape and configuration; cells fit between one to eight people. Inmates were also assigned based on their offense, age, and nationality. Let’s take a look at some of the cells.

The Punishment Room

There were many punishment rooms, but this one caught everyone’s eye; the rusty crucifix carved by someone who felt desperately repentant. A man surnamed Kang was sent to this prison for murdering his sister-in-law and her mother with a hammer. Could this inmate on death row once call this wing before being taken to face execution?

The Cells for Youth, Elderly, and Drug-Related Offenders

A cell for drug offenders.
An example of a multi-person shared cell.
One of the narrower, more claustrophobic cells.
It seems prisoners had the autonomy to choose their own wallpaper. There was quite a variety of wall decor. Most of it you’d see at a grandmother’s house.

I’ll leave it here for now. I will show the work areas, the auditorium, and the exercise grounds in part two.

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