Singer Kim Ho-joong moved to Korea’s only Christian-run private prison

South Korean singer Kim Ho-joong, who rose to stardom through the hit TV competition “Mr. Trot,” has entered Somang Prison, the country’s only privately operated correctional facility, after receiving a sentence of two years and six months for a hit-and-run while intoxicated. Kim was transferred on Aug. 18 from the Seoul Detention Center to Somang Prison in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, legal sources said Wednesday. Established in 2010, Somang is the first and only private prison in South Korea, operated on a nonprofit basis by the Christian foundation Agape under government supervision. Somang Prison has a reputation for strict entry requirements, accepting only carefully screened applicants. Inmates must be men between 20 and 60 years of age, serving sentences of seven years or less and at least one year remaining in their sentence. Those with more than two prior convictions or whose crimes involved drugs, organized crime or national security offenses are excluded. All applicants are screened by the Ministry of Justice, and admission is only approved after interviews and backgroundWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times