Lee Eunhae, who is serving a life sentence for the so-called ‘Gapyeong Valley murder case’, was reportedly punished after being caught gambling with other inmates using postage stamps at a correctional facility in South Korea.
KBS reported on Oct 8 that Lee was sentenced to nine days in a disciplinary cell last year for gambling through stamp trading.
The punishment involves placing an inmate in a separate cell for a specified period, restricting communal living and activities.
Lee was reportedly caught gambling with other inmates using stamps and cards made from cut-up A4 paper.
Stamps used as currency in prisons
The incident has drawn attention to the widespread use of stamps as a form of currency in South Korean correctional facilities, where they are reportedly used for gambling and trading among inmates.
More than 1,000 inmates nationwide were reportedly caught gambling with stamps over the past four years. Inmates allegedly made hwatu cards by cutting up large envelopes or fashioned cards from paper, then used stamps as stakes.
Registered-mail stamps worth 3,830 won each were among those used for betting.
The amounts involved could be substantial. Some inmates reportedly wagered stamps worth 250,000 won in a single day, while others lost stamps worth as much as 1 million won through gambling.
The practice extended beyond card games. Inmates also reportedly wagered stamps on omok and baduk games, as well as on the outcomes of sporting events.
Stamps were also used to pay other inmates for chores such as laundry and dishwashing.
Outside agencies and stamp trading raise concerns
Reports have also highlighted the use of stamps to obtain cash through so-called ‘prisoner service agencies’, which handle various tasks for inmates outside correctional facilities.
Some agencies reportedly deducted about 30% of the stamps’ face value as a fee, converted the remainder into cash and deposited it into inmates’ custodial accounts.
A man identified only as A, who had previously been held in a correctional facility, told KBS that inmates with more than 100 stamps could live comfortably without having to do dishes or laundry.
As stamps have increasingly been used as a medium of exchange, spending on them at correctional facilities has also risen. Nationwide prison spending on stamps increased by about 5 billion won over the past four years.
Last year, 980 inmates each purchased stamps worth at least 1.5 million won.
Concerns have also been raised about inadequate oversight of outside agencies providing services to inmates. Some agencies were reportedly involved in placing Sports Toto bets on behalf of inmates, while others allegedly disappeared after taking money and valuables.
Lee’s murder conviction
Lee was convicted of murdering her husband, identified only as Yoon, with her accomplice Cho Hyunsu at Yongso Valley in Gapyeong County, Gyeonggi Province, on June 30, 2019.
The pair were accused of failing to rescue Yoon, who could not swim, after he jumped into the water, resulting in his death. Prosecutors concluded that they had acted to claim 800 million won in life insurance proceeds under Yoon’s name.
They were also accused of two earlier attempts to kill him in 2019. In February, they allegedly fed him food laced with pufferfish poison, while in May they allegedly pushed him into the water at a fishing site. Both attempts were unsuccessful.
In September 2023, South Korea’s Supreme Court upheld Lee’s life sentence and Cho’s 30-year prison term.
