Lee Eun-hae, the suspect in the Valley Murder case, has been caught gambling while serving time in a detention center.
According to KBS on October 8, Lee was punished with nine days in solitary confinement last year for engaging in 'gambling with stamp trading.' She reportedly used cards made from A4 paper to gamble with stamps.
In the past four years, over 1,000 inmates have been discovered gambling in correctional facilities, using stamps as casino chips. They created large envelopes to play card games, wagering items such as registered stamps worth 3,830 won each. In addition to card games, inmates also placed bets on sports outcomes, with some wagering up to 250,000 won in stamps or losing as much as 1 million won.
Stamps used for gambling have also been treated like currency within the detention center. Inmates would pay others to do laundry or dishes in exchange for stamps. Additionally, a service known as 'supply companies' would convert stamps into cash, taking a 30% cut and depositing the remainder into the inmates' accounts.
An inmate, referred to as A, testified, 'If you have more than 100 stamps, you can avoid doing dishes or laundry and live comfortably.'
While not all stamp purchases have been linked to gambling, the total amount spent on stamps in prisons nationwide has increased by about 5 billion won over the past four years. Last year alone, 980 inmates purchased more than 1.5 million won worth of stamps, according to reports.
In response, Kim Gi-pyo, a member of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee from the Democratic Party, emphasized the need for strict measures, stating, 'There is a problem where money is interconnected, potentially encouraging other illegal activities, so it must be dealt with severely.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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