Nine people have escaped from Korea's prisons since 2002, with at least one breakout happening every year. This is according to statistics submitted to a National Assembly committee by the Ministry of Justice on Thursday.

2005 was the busiest year for escapees with four inmates fleeing from prisons or correctional centers, including Lee Nak-sung who was caught 18 months later. Of the nine escapees since 2002, five snuck out while they were hospitalized outside of prison. That's how Lee Nak-sung escaped, slipping out of a hospital in Andong in North Gyeongsang Province. Three of the nine disappeared while working at outside businesses or participating in technical competitions. One well-behaved prisoner who was out on furlough decided not to return to his cell. All nine jail breakers were eventually arrested again.

The only recent Korean breakout that was as dramatic as the sort depicted in the hit U.S. television show "Prison Break" happened in January 1997, according to the Justice Ministry. That's when Shin Chang-won escaped from Busan Prison by cutting through the metal window bars of a prison bathroom. He was caught in July of 1999 after committing 130 burglaries and thefts.

An official with the Corrections Bureau said it would be impossible for prisoners in Korea to escape like the characters do in the U.S. TV show. That hasn't stopped them from trying, though. Since 2005, 30 prisoners have been punished for trying to make devices to escape or destroying security facilities and equipment.

(englishnews@chosun.com )