This file photo shows the Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center in Gyeonggi Province, about 40 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The Ministry of Justice is planning to replace detention facilities used to incarcerate foreigners prior to deportation with alternative institutions that ensure the right of movement and freedom for foreigners.
The ministry announced that it is seeking research projects for the establishment of ‘alternative forms of detention facilities for foreigners’ that will commence for four months starting from Wednesday.
The project will look at the viability of introducing an alternative form of a detention facility and collect foreign case studies to set up rules and regulations that fit the circumstances in the country.
An alternative detention facility refers to a new type of institution that guarantees an individual’s right to movement, freedom and convenience.
Following last year’s case of a human rights violation at the Hwaseong Immigration Detention Center, the ministry has vowed to improve the operation of the facility.
“In the short term, we will come up with a model that minimizes the limitations imposed on the fundamental rights of foreigners at the facility, including their right to move outside of the institution,” the ministry said.
“In the long term, we will implement the new system at other facilities, transitioning out of the incarceration system.”
It is expected to take at least a couple of years for the new system to replace the current detention facilities.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
