A "corrections pen pal" list that offers to pair people with women imprisoned in correctional facilities for pen pal exchanges is spreading online. It lists a female inmate's age, height, weight, appearance, body type, and personality, then consolidations a pen pal partner.
On the 18th, a document titled "correctional facility list" was shared across online communities and social networking services (SNS). The document included guidance such as "corrections pen pal matching 70,000 won per person, three letters guaranteed from the matched woman," along with the names, regions, and birth years of those presumed to be female inmates. Personal information such as height and weight, blood type, and MBTI was also listed.
There were also assessments of appearance and personality. Some women were labeled with descriptions such as "glamour fairy style," "cute and pretty," "girl crush," "likes letters," and "quiet but outgoing once familiar."
The service is reportedly run by so-called "okbaraji" proxy companies that obtain personal details of female inmates, introduce them to men seeking pen pals, and take payment.
The company is said to inform users that not only men in the general public but also men incarcerated in other correctional facilities can use the service. If a client specifies a desired age range, remaining sentence, appearance, personality, and so on, the company consolidations a matching female inmate. It is also reported that those who want pen pal exchanges with sexual content are instructed to note that as a separate request.
Observers say the emergence of this kind of paid pen pal service targeting inmates stems from institutional limits that make it difficult for correctional authorities to continually review every piece of correspondence between inmates. Even if a private company acts as an intermediary to consolidation the other party or to set specific conversation terms, it is not easy for correctional authorities to detect.
Pen pal exchanges between inmates themselves have been known before. On Jul. the correctional officers from Cheongju Women's Prison who appeared on the tvN entertainment program "You Quiz on the Block" noted that there are not a few cases in which male and female inmates exchange letters to interact.