A former prison guard who smuggled mobile phones into a detention center to allow inmates to make outside calls and accepted bribes has received a suspended sentence in the first trial.

The Suwon District Court sentenced the former Suwon Detention Center guard, identified as A, to one year and six months in prison, suspended for three years, on charges including accepting bribes for illicit acts.

The court also ordered A to pay a fine of 3 million won and a forfeiture of 3.6 million won.

Four inmates, including B, who were indicted alongside A on charges of giving bribes, were sentenced to fines ranging from 1 million to 2 million won depending on their level of involvement.

A was indicted for taking approximately 3.6 million won in bribes from inmates between July and November 2023, in exchange for letting them use smuggled mobile phones and providing various special privileges inside the detention facility.

Investigators found that A began the crimes after receiving a request from an inmate, B, with whom A had a prior acquaintance.

A accepted a set of premium Korean beef (hanwoo) worth about 200,000 won from B, and in return, allowed B to frequently use A's mobile phone to speak with an outside girlfriend.

For another inmate, C, A provided unauthorized perks first—such as frequent outside calls and calling C into a separate room to drink coffee—before demanding and taking a used smartphone worth 1 million won.

Later, through B, A proposed to C that "if you pay 700,000 won a month, I will let you use a mobile phone freely," and received cash deposits into a bank account.

During this process, A used an acquaintance's account to receive the cash transfers in order to conceal the proceeds of the crime.

The court pointed out, "The defendant, as a prison guard, took bribes from inmates to perform illicit acts, smuggled prohibited electronic devices into a correctional facility, and concealed crime proceeds, making the nature of the crimes severe." The court added, "The culpability is high as it severely undermined public trust in the fairness of official duties."

However, the court explained the sentencing rationale by noting, "The defendant has admitted to all crimes and is reflecting, has no prior criminal record before this case, and lost their job as a result of being dismissed over these actions."

Reported by Jung Da-eun | Video by Lee Da-in | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News