Amnesty Objects to Koreas Resumption of Executions
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam's hinting at the resumption of executions of death-row inmates is raising an old debate anew.
Lee said Tuesday that he was considering setting up an execution facility at Cheongsong Prison in North Gyeongsang Province, where serial killers, murders and repeat rapists are imprisoned, the purpose of it being to "carry out the death sentence."
His intent to break a 13-year-old moratorium on the highest penalty in the criminal code brought an immediate backlash from human rights activists, as well as debate among politicians.
The world's largest human rights group, Amnesty International, condemned the remarks in an urgent statement.
"We express grave concern about Lee's remarks," the international human rights watchdog said. "Many studies have shown that capital punishment carries little effect in deterring heinous crimes. Only 25 out of 192 U.N member states maintain the death penalty and the number is decreasing constantly. In this regard, the resumption is an act running counter to the worldwide trend."
The political circle has been divided over the issue.
Opposition parties are joining arms to bash the possible resumption, while the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) is struggling with a widening rift among its senior members. Two bills regarding the abolishment of capital punishment are pending at the National Assembly.
Floor leader of the party Ahn Sang-soo is openly supporting the resumption of executions. At a recent meeting, Ahn said, "Among death row inmates are repeat rapists and serial killers who are inferior to wild animals. The government should sort them out and then execute them. There is a growing call from the public."
National Assembly speaker Kim Hyung-o, a five-term lawmaker of the GNP, is a longtime advocate for abolishing the death penalty.
"The inhumane punishment should be abolished," Kim said in a radio interview, Thursday. "Life is the highest value that shouldn't be damaged or be deprived of by another human being. It's better to completely remove the problematic punishment from the law rather than facing fruitless, time-consuming debate by maintaining it."
Kim said the introduction of a life sentence with no chance of parole was a valid alternative.
Internet users are also divided over the hypersensitive issue.
A netizen with the ID "baba" posted at The Korea Times, "The death penalty is a primitive form of revenge. It goes back to the Old Testament practice of an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth. We are living in the 21st century and such barbarism must stop."
Another KT reader, whose ID is "zeth06," said, "Before we jump on the death penalty bandwagon, we have to remember that there are always alternatives."
But "JakeBrake" refuted their stance, saying, "The death penalty is correct with a righteous judicial entity. Why does Korea need to use taxes to provide for the scum of society?"
The penalty was once abused by military dictatorships to remove political foes ㅡ numerous civilians and politicians lost their lives in the 1960s and 70s, when iron-fisted military factions ruled the state, for participating in "anti-government activities."
An unofficial moratorium was introduced on capital punishment in February 1998 when President Kim Dae-jung ㅡ who was once sentenced to death himself in 1980 but later pardoned ㅡ took office.
In 2007, Amnesty categorized South Korea as having "virtually abolished capital punishment," as it had not carried out executions since the hanging of 23 death-row convicts in 1997.
A total of 920 people have been executed here since capital punishment was legalized in 1948. There are still 57 inmates on death row.
According to Amnesty, 95 countries have not conducted executions for over 10 years, being categorized as "abolitionist countries." Fifty-eight nations ㅡ including China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia and the United States ㅡ still actively enforce the death penalty.