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
- 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
- JANUARY 18, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Yi Chong-pin, the Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister,...
Yi Chong-pin, the Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister, expressed deep regret over the repatriation, saying his ministry did not properly cope with the issue
- JANUARY 17, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Analysts said that despite the government's repeated...
Analysts said that despite the government's repeated pledges to guarantee the safety of the seven North Korean defectors, Seoul had few means to prevent the North Korean authorities from executing them
- JANUARY 14, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
President Kim Tae-chung instructed the Foreign Affairs...
President Kim Tae-chung instructed the Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister, Yi Chong-pin, to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of the repatriated North Korean defectors
- JANUARY 13, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
South Korea strongly protested China's return of the...
South Korea strongly protested China's return of the seven North Korean defectors to North Korea on January 12
- JANUARY 9, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
South Korea's National Red Cross Society urged its...
South Korea's National Red Cross Society urged its Chinese counterpart not to repatriate a group of seven North Koreans who had fled their hunger-stricken communist homeland
- JANUARY 1, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Since Independence in 1948, 902 people have been executed...
Since Independence in 1948, 902 people have been executed in South Korea, most of them by hanging
- JANUARY 1, 2000South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
In 1996, the Constitutional Court ruled 7-2 that the...
In 1996, the Constitutional Court ruled 7-2 that the death penalty was constitutional
- DECEMBER 1, 1999South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
In December, a group of Korean lawmakers was moving...
In December, a group of Korean lawmakers was moving to ban the death penalty for the first time in the nation's history
- DECEMBER 1, 1999South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
On December 1, the nation's civic groups called on...
On December 1, the nation's civic groups called on the Government to bring seven North Korean defectors detained in Russia to South Korea
- SEPTEMBER 1, 1999South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
In September, some 100 lawmakers from the ruling and...
In September, some 100 lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties including Lee Kun-kae of the United Liberal Democrats (ULD) were moving to pass a bill which allows the death penalty against those who make or distribute disqualified food, thus clai