SOUTH KOREA MOVES TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY

155 Members of Parliament signed the motion to abolish the death penalty and substitute it with life imprisonment for capital crimes. The signatories make up nearly half of the National Assembly’s 273 members, so the abolition of the death penalty appears a possibility.
“It goes against human dignity and against the right to life guaranteed by the constitution,” said Chyung Dai Chul, an MP for the ruling democratic party.
A spokesman for the nationalist opposition however said the approval of the abolitionist bill may prove difficult as the Assembly is controlled by Opposition MPs, who may decide to vote against.
The motion will be discussed in the upcoming sessions.
Despite retaining the death penalty South Korea has not carried out any executions since 1998, the year former dissident Kim Dae Jung was elected president.
According to the Ministry of Justice, 96 executions have been carried out in the last ten years, all previous to Kim’s election.