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The Death Penalty in South Korea

By Jesse Ruffin The death penalty is a legal punishment for crime in which an individual is given a death sentence by the government. In every place where this practice is used on criminals, there are different methods used to take the life of the criminal. There is death by lethal injection, death by firing squad, death by hanging and death by electrocution. In some places, the carrying out of the death penalty is considered brutal and barbaric. South Korea might be one such place. The death penalty in South Korea was carried out through hanging, slow slicing and dismemberment. On deathpenaltyworldwide.com, it indicates that the last executions in the country happened without notification to the families. This site also reveals that this country has used firing squads to carry out this punishment. However, the practice of the death penalty has not been carried out since 1997. The kind of crimes for which South Korea implemented the death penalty, referred to as death eligible, include those such as rebellion, homicide and foreign countries conspiracy. The criminal justice system in South Korea used this method as an indispensable component during the pre-modern era. Then when South Korea was engaged in the civil war that took place until 1953, the death penalty was thought to have been overused. After 1953, the death penalty continued to be used for oppression of political dissidents (Kuk Cho, 2010). It was also used in maintenance of an anti-communist system. South Korea has become a state in abolition of this practice since 1997. South Korea used the death penalty as a social control mechanism that the authoritarian government employed in punishing criminals. At one time, those found guilty of robbery, murder, arson and using explosives were subject to the death penalty. The death penalty in South Korea abused the social stability by denying the basic right to life for individuals in Korea. Their human rights agenda became a key part of the constitution upon the start of President Kim Dae-Jung's term. President Roh Moo-Hyun also complied with the human rights and democratic values in place, hence he did not allow the death penalty to be carried out. The abolition of the death penalty implies that government of South Korea should adopt other alternative punishments. The punishment may include life imprisonment without reducing the sentence for a period and retaining the death penalty when the people are at war. The opposition to the death penalty punishment has been due to various reasons, such as violation of human rights. A law against the death penalty has not been passed by the parliament in South Korea as it is still argued that the capital punishment can still be used in deterring crimes in the country (Je-Kyo, 2013). The policy-makers in the country argue that the right to life does not guarantee the abolishment of the death penalty. However, a majority of the people in South Korea advocate the use of capital punishments with a belief that it helps in reduction of crimes through deterrence by example. Many argue that the death penalty punishment does not give the criminals the moral liberty that is given to individuals sentenced to life imprisonment. The government should protect the rights of life for its people. The death penalty punishment infringes the conscience freedom, right to happiness and human dignity of the people who implement the penalty. The death penalty is in most cases a means to fulfill vengeance and retribution. The death penalty has not been a deterrence to murder in South Korea as the murder cases increased from 789 in 1997 to 966 in 1998 in South Korea (Hood, 2010). In Conclusion, the death penalty is still a legal process in South Korea, but the country has been practicing abolition of the practice since 1997. Studies show that the death penalty is still supported in the country by the majority of the people. South Korea has displayed uniqueness in comparison to all Asian countries concerning the issue of capital punishment.

References Hood, R.(2010) Toward Global Abolition of the Death Penalty: Progress and Prospects. Retrieved from: 	http://www.deathpenaltyproject.org/assets/12/original/Towards_Global_Abolition_of_the_Death_Penalty_by_Prof_Roger_Hood.pdf?1273573377 Je-Kyo,L. (2013)Capital Punishment in South Korea. Retrieved from: 	http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20110608000910