UNJournal Lee Sung Jun | The World Peace Art Exhibition donated 25 folk paintings to Seoul Southern Correctional Institution on September 3, one day after delivering 58 works to Wonju Prison, marking its 10th donation to a correctional facility nationwide.

Seoul Southern Correctional Institution, led by Warden Jeong Jin-woo, announced that it received the artworks and held a donation ceremony at the facility. The ceremony was attended by Warden Jeong, former Daegu Regional Correctional Office Commissioner Kim Dong-hyun, World Peace Art Exhibition Chairman Lee Jon-young, Secretary General Kim Tae-yeon, and Myongji University Professor Lee Mi-hyung, who gathered to discuss the significance of sharing art within correctional culture.

Combined with the 58 paintings delivered to Wonju Correctional Institution the previous day, a total of 83 artworks were donated to correctional facilities over the two-day period. The donation was arranged to display folk paintings within correctional facilities, giving inmates and staff opportunities to encounter traditional Korean culture and art in their daily surroundings.

The donated works are expected to be displayed in inmates' living quarters, hallways and rehabilitation areas, with the aim of creating a brighter and more stable environment within the facility. Organizers said the paintings are intended to offer inmates emotional comfort and opportunities for self-reflection, while supporting character development and eventual reintegration into society.

"This donation of folk paintings is significant not only for the mere delivery of artworks but also for creating an environment where culture and art can be accessed even within correctional facilities," Warden Jeong said. He added that he hopes the works will contribute to the emotional development and stability of inmates and provide practical support for their correction and rehabilitation.

The World Peace Art Exhibition has continued donating artworks to correctional facilities across the country as part of an effort to extend the public value of art to society and offer hope and comfort to inmates with limited access to culture and the arts. The donation to Seoul Southern Correctional Institution represents the 10th such initiative to date, and organizers said it carries added significance in supporting the creation of a rehabilitation environment through art and facilitating inmates' healthy reintegration into society.