by Madeline Diamond
Business Insider
Forget luxurious hotels and glamorous vacations, South Koreans are flocking to a mock prison as a way to cope with the stress of daily life.
Prison Inside Me has been offering an immersive prison-like experience since 2013. Guests pay around $90 per day to spend 24 or 48-hours locked in a jail cell.
Located in rural Hongcheon, outside Seoul, the mock correctional facility is popular among stressed out students and workers. Since opening in 2013, the prison has hosted more than 2,000 “inmates” trying to escape the demands of daily life.
The amenities are limited, and inmates spend their stay in complete silence. This may not sound like your usual vacation, but that’s exactly why people go there.
The ultra-competitive culture among students and employees in South Korea is in part to blame for the country’s high rates of stress, sleep disorders and suicide.
Prison Inside Me cofounder Noh Ji-Hyang opened the facility to offer a way for people to completely disconnect from their stressful daily lives, if only for a day or two. She said her husband’s often 100-hour work weeks inspired her to offer a resource for stressed students and workers.
The mock prison allows participants to shed the stresses and distractions of their daily lives and find immersive, temporary solace in silence and isolation.
Upon arrival, participants give up their cell phones and watches and receive a few basic necessities, including a blue prison uniform and a tea set.
As you might expect, the guest rooms at Prison Inside Me look pretty similar to those of an actual prison.
Then cells are sparce and just 54-square feet. in size. The cells may be small, but they are equipped with some necessities for a short stay. For example, there’s a toilet in each room, but no mirrors.
After inmates receive their uniform and supplies, they take a walk outside before they’re voluntarily locked up.
During their stay, prisoners eat humble meals. A standard meal consists of a steamed sweet potato and banana milkshake, for example.
As part of the program, they must also eat all their meals alone. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are delivered to inmates in their cells.
When they’re done with their meals, inmates simply place empty containers outside their cell through a slot in the door, which minimizes human interaction.
Participants are not allowed to talk to one another while they are locked up.
Since silence is a significant part of why people go to Prison Inside Me, meditation is a common activity practiced by inmates. Inmates also pass the time by doing simple, low-stress activities, such as writing letters.
Even though they are locked up, participants have the freedom to choose how they spend their time at Prison Inside Me. This can include taking naps.
As seen through her cell window, Park Hye-Ri, 28, is one participant of Prison Inside Me who used the service to escape stress in her everyday life.
Park recently booked a stay at the facility to take a break from her heavy workload. Back home in Incheon, South Korea, Park is a startup business program manager.
“I shouldn’t be here right now, given the work I need to do,” Park told Reuters when she arrived at the prison.
The competitive academic and workplace culture in South Korea is so prevalent that it’s no surprise students and workers are looking for new ways to cope with stress and corporate burnout.
South Koreans worked an average of 2,024 hours in 2017, according to a survey from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Comparatively, Americans work on average 1,780 hours a year.
More than four million people in South Korea suffered from sleep disorders in 2015. South Korean authorities worry that the culture of overwork is taking a significant toll on people’s physical and mental well-being. That’s why the government recently introduced a new limit on working hours, lowering the maximum weekly working hours from 68 to 52.
Noh said that people are often initially skeptical about the facility. But their opinions change after they complete a stay at the “prison,” she said.
Noh says that staying at Prison Inside Me is a positive way to deal with stress. “After a stay in the prison, people say, ‘This is not a prison, the real prison is where we return to,’” she said.
South Korea is one of the most technologically connected countries in the world — 99.2 percent of households had internet access as of 2017. Prison Inside Me’s no cell phone rule is considered a perk for many participants who are looking for an excuse to unplug.
In addition to her office job, Park also runs a YouTube channel, so staying at the prison means leaving her day job, side gig, and social life — all of which involve technology — behind.
After their 24 or 48-hour stay, participants receive a certificate of parole before they reenter the real world.
Park said that she decided to visit Prison Inside Me to, “pause and look back at myself for a better life.”
“This prison gives me a sense of freedom,” Park said.
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