The Supreme Prosecutors Office in southern Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — The Supreme Prosecutors Office said Tuesday that impoverished, vulnerable groups facing difficulties paying fines due to financial hardships will now be able to choose community service over going to a prison workshop to carry out their sentences.
The plan focuses on expanding the scope of people who are eligible to opt for community service instead of prison labor.
Currently, the legislation allows those who weren’t able to pay fines of less than 5 million won (US$3,810) due to financial difficulties to instead complete community service, backed by a request from the prosecutor and the court’s approval.
However, only those whose income levels were below 50 percent of the median income have been eligible.
The office plans to expand the scope of eligibility by raising the income threshold to 70 percent of the median income, which means anyone in a four-person household that makes less than 3,585,756 won, instead of 2,560,540 won, will be able to choose community service.
It also plans to consider other various economic situations faced by those unable to pay fines to allow them to sign up for community service.
The prosecution plans to offer information about how they can join various kinds of community service initiatives like supporting farmers or fishermen, helping vulnerable groups, and supporting the improvement of the residential environment.
In addition, once an individual with outstanding fines is apprehended after being placed on the wanted list, the prosecution may decide upon the need for an installment plan or a grace period to pay the fines in order to minimize the individual’s term at a prison workshop.
The Supreme Prosecutors Office reported that 93 percent of all individuals at prison workshops who had yet to pay their fines were sentenced to fines of less than 5 million won.
At 60, almost two-thirds were sent to prison workshops because they couldn’t pay fines of less than 1 million won.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
