Prison-Themed Hotel in South Korea Offers Unique Stress Relief for the Overworked

April 24, 2025 | 06:31 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Shopping or taking vacations is a common way to unwind, but South Koreans have found a unique alternative. There's a hotel designed to resemble a prison, which has become a popular choice for stressed individuals seeking relaxation.

The hotel, named Prison Inside Me, is located in Hongcheon, approximately 80 kilometers northeast of Seoul. Instead of typical spa treatments or luxurious beds, the hotel offers a distinctive approach to stress relief.

They force guests to rest, without doing anything other than recuperating behind bars. Just like a real prison, the "inmates" spend their stay in small cells that are only 5 square meters in size.

This unique approach seems to be successful as the hotel has proven to sustain for over a decade. Founded by former lawyer Kwon Yong-Seok and his wife, the hotel’s mission is to provide guests with an opportunity to experience life free from the distractions of everyday comforts.

Accommodation Cost

Guests who wish to become inmates must pay around Rp2.2 million. The price is actually equivalent to staying in a comfortable star-rated hotel, but they choose to sleep in gray cells and use a mat as a bed.

A small table and a toilet are provided in the room, while the use of mobile phones is strictly prohibited. Food is served through a hole in the door, just like in high-security prisons.

Once locked in, guests are not required to do anything other than look inward and are advised to meditate, write journals, and do simple yoga routines.

Workaholic Population

South Korea is known for its workaholic culture, with the longest working hours in Asia. Among the 35 countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), it has the second-longest working hours, only behind Mexico.

On average, South Koreans work 2,069 hours per year, significantly more than the OECD average of 1,764 hours.

In 2013, Kwon Yong-seok invested approximately 2 billion Korean won (around Rp23.6 billion) to build a hotel dedicated to promoting mental health through short periods of intensive solitude. He created this space after recognizing the benefits of such solitude for individuals' well-being.

Kwon once experienced working 100 hours a week. He admitted to not knowing how to stop working. It seemed as if he was being swept away against his will, unable to control his own life.

"I only hope that this place offers a chance for visitors to reflect on themselves. I sometimes walk backwards so that I can see the road I’ve just walked. People rarely do so and only think about roads ahead. I think we need to try to look back," he said, as quoted by Mirror.

Kwon's wife, Ji-hyang Noh, stated that confining oneself in isolation in this hotel is not a prison. "Locking themselves up in solitary confinement here is not a prison; the true prison is the world outside."

Many guests have described their stay in this hotel as living without disturbance, similar to Buddhist monks.

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