By Kim Jae-heun
A decades-long dispute over whether to abolish the death penalty has been reignited, following a human rights watchdog's recommendation to do so.
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) decided Tuesday to recommend the government join an international covenant to abolish the death penalty.
The decision was made during an 11-member commission meeting, the first meeting held by new Chairperson Choi Yeong-ae.
The Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, first introduced by the U.N. in December 1989, is aimed at ending the practice of capital punishment, providing a procedure for abolishment of the system and renouncing execution of war criminals.
Only four countries among the 36 OECD member nations have not signed the protocol, which includes Korea, the United States, Israel and Japan.
Several human rights watchdogs including the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. Human Rights Committee have been recommending Korea join the protocol and renounce capital punishment.
The NHRCK also expressed its opinion to abolish the system to the chairman of the National Assembly in April 2005, and to the Constitutional Court in July 2009. Last December, the human rights watchdog consented on the abolishment of capital punishment in military criminal law.
Sixty-one people have been sentenced to death and they are awaiting execution, according to the NHRCK, but nobody has been put for death here for over 20 years since Dec. 30, 1997.
Korea has practically suspended capital punishment ― despite its issuance of the system ― but it has not officially declared its discontinuance of executions.
“Looking at the results of several public opinion polls collected in the past, we know how much people still want the death penalty against heinous crimes. People believe it will prevent further dreadful crimes and realize justice while relieving extreme pain and sense of loss among victims' families,” an NHRCK official said during the meeting.
“However, we don't see taking the criminals' lives is the only genuine compensation to the victims and their families. With our recommendation, we expect the government to vote for a U.N. resolution on a moratorium on the death penalty during the U.N. General Assembly scheduled in December,” the official said.
But many still want to keep the system, with the latest poll in August showing 69 percent of the public agreed with capital punishment.
“We should stop thinking that abolishment of the death penalty is the answer to becoming a developed country in human rights and retaining the system is a conservative practice. Of course, all human lives have dignity but if we don't punish those who commit brutal crimes like murder, how can you compensate for the pain of victims' families?” a commission member said.
“The nation should make 100 times more efforts than now in protecting victims' human rights. Then it can talk about abolishing the death penalty to protect criminals' human rights,” a blogger said.