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
- NOVEMBER 16, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Lee Jun-yeong, one of 29 artists featured in "Invitation...
Lee Jun-yeong, one of 29 artists featured in "Invitation to Life" at Insa-dong's Hakojae Gallery, described herself as "oriented toward inner revolution" rather than political activism
- NOVEMBER 11, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
It is rare for Korean mainstream artists to team up...
It is rare for Korean mainstream artists to team up with some of this country's finest alternative musicians for some serious, thought provoking cause but November 11 presented such a coupling with the "Citizens' Concert" (also known as the "Ku Ka Mu Nar
- NOVEMBER 10, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan urged the head of Korean...
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan urged the head of Korean legislature to support a special bill aimed at abolishing capital punishment
- NOVEMBER 7, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The South Korean government hinted that it would not...
The South Korean government hinted that it would not pursue charges that China violated the Vienna Convention on consular affairs concerning the alleged failure to promptly inform Seoul about the execution of a South Korean convict
- NOVEMBER 7, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The government established the post of consul general...
The government established the post of consul general or consul at all its smaller overseas missions to further strengthen consular affairs
- NOVEMBER 7, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The opposition Grand National Party demanded that President...
The opposition Grand National Party demanded that President Kim Dae-jung apologize to the people for the diplomatic row surrounding China's execution of a South Korean drug trafficker, rebutting Foreign Minister Han Seung-soo's public apology as the heigh
- NOVEMBER 6, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Two Koreans on trial in Heilongjiang, China, on drug-trafficking...
Two Koreans on trial in Heilongjiang, China, on drug-trafficking charges are likely to be sentenced to death, court sources said
- NOVEMBER 6, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The diplomatic row surrounding China's recent execution...
The diplomatic row surrounding China's recent execution of a South Korean drug trafficker appears to be winding down as China reportedly apologized to South Korea for violating the Vienna Convention on consular affairs, officials said
- NOVEMBER 6, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The government's top auditor, Lee Jong-nam, said his...
The government's top auditor, Lee Jong-nam, said his Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) would make a special inspection of the Foreign Ministry, including the minister, the vice-minister and the embassy in Beijing, over the diplomatic row with China stem
- NOVEMBER 4, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
According to a survey, 36 percent of 838 respondents...
According to a survey, 36 percent of 838 respondents over age 20 oppose capital punishment, compared with 20 percent in a Gallup Korea survey in 1994 and 34 percent in a Research World poll in 1999
- NOVEMBER 3, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Han Seung-soo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade,...
Han Seung-soo, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and his Chinese counterpart Tang Jiaxuan expressed mutual regret over the diplomatic incident concerning the execution of a South Korean national in China
- NOVEMBER 3, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
China failed to give a specific answer to Korea's queries...
China failed to give a specific answer to Korea's queries over the alleged torture of a Korean inmate, known as Park, by Chinese authorities
- NOVEMBER 3, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The South Korean government said it would render appropriate...
The South Korean government said it would render appropriate punishment to those found responsible for failing in their duty concerning the execution of a South Korean national [identified as Shin] in China
- NOVEMBER 3, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The Grand National Party urged the resignation of the...
The Grand National Party urged the resignation of the cabinet en bloc after the disgraceful diplomatic incident in which the government wrongly accused China of not giving prior notice before executing a Korean national
- NOVEMBER 3, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Han Seung-soo apologized...
Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Han Seung-soo apologized to the Korean people for the recent unnoticed execution in China of a convicted Korean drug trafficker
- NOVEMBER 2, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Kim Gyeong-geun, the head of external affairs for Koreans...
Kim Gyeong-geun, the head of external affairs for Koreans overseas at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that he had confirmed the Chinese government's investigation results into the notification procedure regarding the execution of a Korean
- NOVEMBER 2, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The opposition Grand National Party (GNP) urged President...
The opposition Grand National Party (GNP) urged President Kim Dae-jung to apologize for a diplomatic spat with China and to take action against those who tarnished the country's image in the diplomatic debacle concerning the execution of a Korean drug tra
- NOVEMBER 1, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The Seoul government asked Beijing to investigate allegations...
The Seoul government asked Beijing to investigate allegations that two South Korean citizens imprisoned in China on drug trafficking charges were denied their rights to due protection from Korean consular offices and one of them was physically abused by C
- NOVEMBER 1, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao called...
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao called on South Korea to conduct a thorough and all-round investigation and verification into the Shin Ok-tu [name as transliterated] case and immediately cease its unfounded allegations against China
- OCTOBER 31, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Controversy over the death penalty in Korea was rekindled,...
Controversy over the death penalty in Korea was rekindled, as 154 lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties presented a bill aimed at abolishing capital punishment
- OCTOBER 31, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Chief Justice Choi Jong-young expressed his regret...
Chief Justice Choi Jong-young expressed his regret at China's execution of a South Korean national convicted of drug trafficking and Beijing's failure to inform South Korea of the action
- OCTOBER 31, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Four lawmakers of the opposition Grand National Party...
Four lawmakers of the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) visited the Chinese embassy to protest Beijing's failure to give Seoul prior notice of Spetmeber's execution of a Korean national convicted of drug-trafficking
- OCTOBER 30, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The South Korean government strongly protested against...
The South Korean government strongly protested against Beijing's failure to notify Seoul before executing a convicted South Korean drug trafficker in September and called on China to thoroughly investigate the circumstances
- OCTOBER 30, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
South Korea has executed a total of 1,634 people for...
South Korea has executed a total of 1,634 people for serious crimes since it was liberated from Japanese rule in 1945, averaging 28
- OCTOBER 30, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
The Ministry of Justice expressed its opposition to...
The Ministry of Justice expressed its opposition to a move by 154 Assemblymen to pass a bill abolishing capital punishment saying that lawmakers should be careful in considering the move
- OCTOBER 30, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
A majority of South Korean ruling and opposition lawmakers...
A majority of South Korean ruling and opposition lawmakers submitted a bill to abolish the death penalty
- OCTOBER 30, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
South Korea has executed a total of 1,634 people for...
South Korea has executed a total of 1,634 people for serious crimes since it was liberated from Japanese rule in 1945, averaging 28
- OCTOBER 29, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
South Korea protested to China for breaking diplomatic...
South Korea protested to China for breaking diplomatic practices by executing a Korean drug dealer in China
- OCTOBER 29, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Seoul's Yonhap news agency reported that another South...
Seoul's Yonhap news agency reported that another South Korean, a 50-year-old man named Yun, was sentenced to death this year in China for trying to smuggle two kg (4
- OCTOBER 29, 2001South KoreaDEATH PENALTY
Ruling and opposition parties criticized China for...
Ruling and opposition parties criticized China for failing to give Seoul prior notice of its execution of a Korean citizen convicted of drug-trafficking