A total of 1,627 inmates, including singer Kim Ho-joong, who had been serving a prison term after being sentenced to prison for a hit-and-run while driving under the influence, were released on parole this month. As overcrowding at correctional facilities has reached a critical point recently, the government is expanding parole for inmates with a low risk of reoffending. The parole rate, which averaged 20% annually 10 years ago, is expected to expand to 30% this year.
◇ Released half a year after Christmas parole fell through for Kim Ho-joong
According to legal sources, on the 30th, singer Kim Ho-joong was released that morning from Somang Prison in Yeoju, Gyeonggi, where he had been serving his sentence. Kim had originally been scheduled for release in Nov. this year after his 2-year, 6-month prison term for a 2024 DUI hit-and-run was finalized. But after passing the Ministry of Justice parole review this month, he returned to society five months early after serving about 80% of his term.
Earlier, the Ministry of Justice held the "June regular parole review committee" on the 19th and found 1,627 of the 2,262 candidates eligible for parole, including Kim Ho-joong. A total of 508 inmates were deemed ineligible, and 1,127 cases were put on hold.
Kim Ho-joong was also placed on the list for the Christmas special parole review in Dec. last year, but his release fell through at the time after he was deemed ineligible.
◇ Parolees remain under probation… can be canceled if violated
Parole is an administrative measure that conditionally returns inmates who meet certain requirements to society before the end of their terms. Under Article 72 of the Criminal Act, a person serving imprisonment or confinement whose conduct is good and remorse is clear may be paroled after 20 years for life sentences and after one-third of the term for fixed-term sentences. A review committee considers the offense details, behavior in custody, and risk of reoffending to determine eligibility for those up for review.
After release on parole, the person is placed under probation for the remainder of the term. Those under probation are guided and supervised by probation officers and must comply with conditions such as residing at their registered address and engaging in an occupation. Some parolees are fitted with electronic ankle monitors. Violating probation conditions can result in parole being revoked.
There are many cases of figures who drew public attention, like Kim Ho-joong, being released on parole. Notably, Samsung Electronics Chair Lee Jae-yong (then vice chair) was released on parole ahead of Liberation Day in 2021 while serving a finalized 2-year, 6-month sentence in the past state capture case. In 2024, Yoon Suk-yeol's mother-in-law, Choi Eun-sun, whose 1-year sentence was finalized on charges including forging bank balance certificates, was released on parole.
◇ Parole approvals up 71% in a decade… impact of overcrowding
The number of people released on parole has been rising in recent years. Parole approvals increased 71.4% in 10 years, from 7,126 in 2016 to 12,215 in 2025. The share of parole approvals relative to the total inmate population also rose over the same period, from 19.5% to 28.4%. After peaking at 29.8% in 2022 and dipping to 24.9% in 2023, it climbed again to 27.1% in 2024 and 28.4% in 2025.
A major reason the parole rate is rising again is overcrowding at correctional facilities. According to Ministry of Justice data, as of Jan. this year, the occupancy rate at correctional facilities stood at 129%. That means 13 people are held in a space designed for 10. President Lee Jae-myung also instructed in a Ministry of Justice briefing in Dec. last year to expand parole for inmates with a low risk of reoffending. In line with this, the Ministry of Justice plans to gradually expand the parole rate to 30%.
A legal community official said, "With new correctional facilities virtually impossible to build due to local opposition, the system has no choice but to use parole as a short-term measure."