Gov't may resume executions

By Na Jeong-ju

The government is considering resuming executions of inmates on death row in a bid to counter rising cases of first-degree murders and rapes against minors.

A presidential aide told reporters Monday that the government needs a social consensus on whether to resume execution, indicating that it would follow public opinions in deciding on the matter.

“That’s not a matter that only the government can resolve. It’s a public issue,” a senior Cheong Wa Dae official said on condition of anonymity. “There should be discussions on whether executions can deter crimes first. There should be a social consensus to resume execution.”

The comments suggest that the country may drop its moratorium on execution amid public uproar over a series of killings of children and women in recent weeks. Recent online polls show more than 60 percent of South Koreans want the county to resume execution.

The country has not carried out an execution since 23 murder convicts were executed on Dec. 30, 1997, although courts still sentence the death penalty. Currently, 60 convicts are on death row. Two inmates on death row committed suicide in prison in 2009 and one another in 2011.

Advocates of children’s rights and women’s groups have launched public campaigns to call for resumption of execution.

Dozens of female activists held a rally in Myeong-dong, central Seoul, Sunday, in which they criticized the government for wasting taxpayers’ money on feeding and protecting child rapists and murderers.

“They are beasts, not humans. Don’t spend our money on feeding them,” they said in a statement. “The government should execute them and remove them from society as quickly as possible. That’s the only way to prevent such heinous crimes.”

Lee Young-ran, a law professor of Sookmyung Women’s University, said reviving execution can be effective in deterring crimes.

“The death penalty is the strongest punitive measure the country can take against a criminal. It is a legitimate measure. It’s against the law to delay execution,” Lee said. “Resuming execution should be positively considered because it can make our society safer from criminals.”

Hur Joo-wook, a professor of Kangwon National University, proposed a referendum on resuming execution.

“Resuming execution is not only a domestic issue, but a matter that can affect Korea’s international reputation and status,” Hur said. “But many Koreans think keeping inmates on death row alive is against public interests. We can resolve this decade-old issue by putting it to a vote.”

One of the reasons the country has maintained a moratorium on execution is that there is an international pressure.

In 2007, Amnesty International categorized South Korea as a country that has “virtually abolished capital punishment.” However, U.N Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the country in July to abolish the death penalty, saying it violates human rights.

According to the Justice Ministry, there are no European Union member nations that have the death penalty. The United States abolished capital punishment in 1972, but revived it in 1976. There are currently some 90 countries that view executions as illegal.