South Korea
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- presidential republic
- CONSTITUTION
- October 29, 1987
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- based on elements of European, Anglo-American, and Chinese codes
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- unicameral, National Assembly (Kukhoe)
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court, judges appointed by the President and ratified by the National Assembly; Constitutional Court
RELIGIONS
Christians 26%, Buddhists 23%, none 49%
From the country
- NOVEMBER 16, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The Seoul High Court sentenced to death 23-year-old...
The Seoul High Court sentenced to death 23-year-old Hwang Ho-jin for having raped and killed three women
- AUGUST 24, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The government was to pardon more than 30,000 convicts...
The government was to pardon more than 30,000 convicts in order to promote national reconciliation on the anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule
- AUGUST 12, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
A group of Catholic priests known as "Catholic Priests...
A group of Catholic priests known as "Catholic Priests for Justice," met with President Kim Dae-jung and pressed him to push for stronger reform
- AUGUST 9, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Justice Ministry officials said that more than 40 prisoners...
Justice Ministry officials said that more than 40 prisoners on death row were to have their terms lightened to life sentences in honor of "National Liberation Day
- APRIL 26, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
South Korea voted against the resolution on the death...
South Korea voted against the resolution on the death penalty approved by the UN Commission on Human Rights on April 26 (no
- APRIL 8, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) demanded...
The ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) demanded that opposition candidate, Jung In-bong, withdraw his parliamentary candidacy after they exposed personal records that indicated his involvement in a drug scandal in 1996
- MARCH 31, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The death penalty is provided for in the Penal Code...
The death penalty is provided for in the Penal Code (1953) for political and ordinary crimes
- MARCH 7, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
President Kim Dae-jung said he was highly appreciative...
President Kim Dae-jung said he was highly appreciative of French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin for his role in saving his life when he was sentenced to death by a Korean military tribunal in 1980
- FEBRUARY 18, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Seo Yoon Bum's five-year-old grandson was killed when...
Seo Yoon Bum's five-year-old grandson was killed when a car plowed through a group of pedestrians in Seoul in 1991
- FEBRUARY 18, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
A group of 92 South Korean legislators presented a...
A group of 92 South Korean legislators presented a bill to the National Assembly that called for capital punishment sentences to be abolished and be replaced with life terms in prison sentences
- FEBRUARY 18, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
According to a Gallup survey conducted in December,...
According to a Gallup survey conducted in December, 43% of South Koreans oppose the death penalty (50% were in favour), up from just 20% in 1994
- JANUARY 23, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
A South Korean student studying at the Australian National...
A South Korean student studying at the Australian National University was so frightened to find himself in the same class with fellow students from communist North Korea that he went to his embassy to ask permission to speak to them