Park Hye-ri sits in a five-square-meter cell. The clerk paid $ 90 to spend 24 hours there. "This prison gives me a sense of freedom," says the 28-year-old.
"I was too busy," says Park. "I should not be here now, given the work I have to do, but I've decided to take a break and look at myself for a better life."
Like Park, some South Koreans are concerned. More than 2,000 have voluntarily been detained in a fictional prison in Hongcheon in the northeast of the country in recent years. Many of them are stressed office workers or students who want to escape the hectic work routine and the strict requirements.
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South Korea: Voluntarily into the pseudo-jailThe rules in "Prison Inside Me" are strict: no conversations with other inmates, no cell phones, no wristwatches.
The "prisoners" get a blue prison uniform, a yoga mat, tea, a pen and a notebook. They sleep on the floor. There is a small toilet in the cell, but no mirror.
The menu includes sweet potatoes and a banana shake for dinner, as well as rice porridge for breakfast.
Noh Ji-Hyang is one of the co-founders of the pseudo-jail. He goes back to the idea of her husband - a prosecutor who often worked a hundred hours a week - she says. "He said he would like to spend a week in solitary confinement to rest and feel better."
"The real prison is the one we return to"
South Korea has long been known for an extremely competitive school and work environment. The consequences are according to experts a high level of stress and an increased risk of suicide.
In the OECD comparison, the weekly workload in South Korea is extremely high. The country achieves the third highest working time with an average of 2739 working hours per year. Only the Mexicans and Costa Ricans work longer.
To help people work less and earn more, the government has raised the minimum wage and lowered the maximum working time from 68 to 52 hours a week.
"After staying in our prison, people say, 'This is not a jail, but the real jail is where we return,' says Noh Ji-hyang.