South Korea
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Abolitionist de facto
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · According to a survey released in 1999 by Gallup Korea,...
- News items in the archive
- 254
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
South Korea is classified as Abolitionist de facto in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 254 news items on South Korea, from 1999 to today.
Latest news
APRIL 7, 2026South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: DEATH-ROW KILLER LEE U-CHEOL DIES IN PRISON FROM CANCER
Lee U-cheol, a 'long-unexecuted death-row inmate' who killed a member trying to defect and the member's partner, died of illness while serving his sentence.
JANUARY 19, 2026South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: COURT ACQUITS MAN EXECUTED 50 YEARS AGO IN NAT'L SECURITY LAW CASE
A Seoul court on January 19, 2026 posthumously acquitted a man executed 50 years ago for allegedly attempting to rebuild an underground pro-North Korea organization in a retrial of the case.
JULY 2, 2025South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: TWO DEATH ROW INMATES DIE, LEAVING 57 REMAINING ON DEATH ROW
The fact that two death row inmates died last year has been revealed belatedly. They died due to advanced age and illness while being in a state where capital punishment was not carried out for a long time.
JUNE 11, 2023South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: CABINET APPROVES BILL TO REMOVE SUNSET CLAUSE FOR DEATH SENTENCE
The South Korean government on June 5, 2013 approved a bill to remove the sunset clause for the death penalty in a bid to prevent inmates on death row from avoiding execution after 30 years in prison.
JULY 19, 2022South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: RELIGIOUS GROUPS CALL FOR ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY
Catholic Church in South Korea joined other religious groups to call for the abolition of the death penalty terming it unconstitutional and ineffective in curbing criminal offenses in the country.
- JULY 6, 2022South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
SOUTH KOREAN COURT TO CONSIDER CONSTITUTIONALITY OF DEATH PENALTY FOR FIRST TIME IN 12 YEARS
South Korea’s death penalty is being taken before the Constitutional Court for the first time in 12 years.
JUNE 23, 2022South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: COURT HANDS DOWN RARE DEATH SENTENCE FOR MAN FOUND GUILTY IN DOUBLE MURDER CASE
A South Korea district court imposed a rare death sentence on a 53-year-old man on 23 June 2022 after he was found guilty of killing a woman for money in December last year, and then also murdering an accomplice.
OCTOBER 19, 2021South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: JAPAN-LINKED KOREAN EX DEATH-ROW INMATE ACQUITTED OF SPYING
A former South Korean resident of Japan, who had been convicted as a North Korean spy and sentenced to death in 1983 in South Korea, was acquitted on 19 October 2021 of illegally collecting intelligence, people once close to the now deceased man said.
MARCH 1, 2021South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: CHILD ABUSE CAN NOW LEAD TO DEATH PENALTY
South Korean lawmakers on 26 February 2021 passed a bill at the plenary session of the National Assembly to revise a law dealing with penalties for child abuse, making it possible for child abusers to be convicted of murder even if they did not intend to
- NOVEMBER 19, 2020South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
SOUTH KOREA VOTES FOR UN RESOLUTION ON DEATH PENALTY MORATORIUM FOR 1ST TIME
South Korea's Justice Ministry said on 18 November 2020 that the country has voted in favor of a UN resolution calling for the suspension of the death penalty.
- JANUARY 1, 2020South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
20 years without executions
20 years without executions
NOVEMBER 29, 2019South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: SCHIZOPHRENIC KILLER SENTENCED TO DEATH
A South Korean court on 27 November 2019 handed down a death sentence to a schizophrenic man who killed five people and injured 17 others in an arson and murder case in the southern part of the country early this year.
MARCH 4, 2019South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: BISHOPS CALL FOR AN END TO THE DEATH PENALTY
The South Korean bishops’ conference has called for an end to the death penalty, and asked the nation’s Constitutional Court to consider whether capital punishment violates South Korea’s constitution, CAN reported on 14 February 2019.
- JANUARY 1, 2019South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
20 years without executions
20 years without executions
OCTOBER 17, 2018South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: 61 PEOPLE CURRENTLY ON DEATH ROW
South Korea currently has a total 61 people on death row, with 57 people in ordinary correctional facilities and 4 in military prisons, The Hankyoreh reported on 17 October.
OCTOBER 16, 2018South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: 7 IN 10 OPPOSE DEATH PENALTY
The majority of South Koreans agree that the death penalty should be abolished and replaced with alternative forms of punishment, the state-run human rights body announced on 10 October 2018.
- JUNE 19, 2018South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
SOUTH KOREA: PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE SAYS IT MAY REVIEW INTRODUCING MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY
The presidential office said it will review a moratorium on the nation’s death penalty system if the state human rights watchdog officially makes a request.
- JUNE 18, 2018South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
KOREA PUSHING FOR OFFICIAL DECLARATION ON ABOLITION OF DEATH PENALTY
South Korea is pushing for a presidential declaration on the abolition of capital punishment, the state human rights watchdog said,
- FEBRUARY 21, 2018South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
SOUTH KOREA'S 'MOLAR DADDY' GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR MURDERING TEEN GIRL
A court in South Korea meted out the death sentence to a man charged with killing a school friend of his daughter after sexually molesting her, Yonhap news agency reported.
- JANUARY 1, 2018South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
20 years without executions
20 years without executions
- NOVEMBER 6, 2017South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
a poll was released by Realmeter and commissioned by local broadcaster CBS.
a poll was released by Realmeter and commissioned by local broadcaster CBS.
- JANUARY 1, 2017South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Capital punishment is provided for 103 crimes:
Capital punishment is provided for 103 crimes:
- JUNE 2, 2016South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
despite a nine-day filibuster by 38 liberal members, the National Assembly passed a controversial anti-
despite a nine-day filibuster by 38 liberal members, the National Assembly passed a controversial anti-
- FEBRUARY 17, 2016South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
the Supreme Court upheld a death sentence for an Army sergeant for killing five fellow soldiers in a shooting rampage near the border with North Korea.
the Supreme Court upheld a death sentence for an Army sergeant for killing five fellow soldiers in a shooting rampage near the border with North Korea.
- JANUARY 1, 2016South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Capital punishment is provided for 103 crimes:
Capital punishment is provided for 103 crimes:
AUGUST 28, 2015South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: COURT CONFIRMS DEATH SENTENCE OF MAN WHO KILLED GIRLFRIEND'S PARENTS
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction and death sentence of a collegian who killed the parents of his
JULY 6, 2015South KoreaDEATH PENALTYSOUTH KOREA: LAWMAKERS PUSH TO ABOLISH DEATH PENALTY
Lawmakers submitted a bipartisan bill to the National Assembly proposing to abolish the death penalty,
- FEBRUARY 3, 2015South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
SOUTH KOREA: SOLDIER GETS DEATH PENALTY FOR DEADLY SHOOTING SPREE
- JANUARY 1, 2015South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Capital punishment is provided for 103 crimes:
Capital punishment is provided for 103 crimes:
- AUGUST 9, 2014ChinaDEATH PENALTY
about 20 South Korean nationals are death row inmates in China, according to the Ministry of Foreign
about 20 South Korean nationals are death row inmates in China, according to the Ministry of Foreign