What Are The Death Penalty Laws In South Korea?
Although capital punishment remains legal in South Korea, the government has not carried out an execution since 1997 (via Newsweek), when a moratorium was put in place by a government sympathetic to its abolition. Though this can be lifted at any time, it set a precedent that has been followed by presidents and their administrations for decades. About 60 inmates are on death row today and will likely remain there. Amnesty International labels the nation as “abolitionist in practice.”
However, battle lines over the issue have been drawn between the general public, human rights activists, and the government, which itself is divided, with different branches showing varying levels of support for capital punishment.
According to research published in the International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice, a strong majority of South Koreans support the death penalty for reasons of deterrence and retribution.
In 2020, the justice ministry voiced full support for capital punishment, whereas the executive administration supported, for the first time, a resolution at the United Nations calling for a suspension of all executions (via The Korea Times).
An impassioned activist movement to end the practice began in 1989, when attorney Lee Sang-hyok founded the Council for the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Seoul (via Amnesty International). They point out that innocent people can be executed, and that execution precludes rehabilitation forever.
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