South Korea's Ministry of Justice clarified a $779,000 plan to install air conditioning in prisons will cool corridors, not cells, to protect vulnerable individuals and staff. Critics decried the taxpayer-funded project.

South Korea’s Ministry of Justice on Tuesday sought to defuse criticism over a 1.2 billion won (US$779,162) plan to install air conditioning in prisons, clarifying the equipment will cool corridors, not inmates’ cells. The ministry framed the installation as a minimal measure to protect vulnerable inmates and correctional officers from extreme heat, while online critics condemned the taxpayer-funded project as an unfair convenience for criminals. The ministry said the equipment will be installed...