While a majority of lawmakers favour abolition of the...

While a majority of lawmakers favour abolition of the death penalty, the nation's largest group of attorneys said it opposed the move.
The Korean Bar Association (KBA) said it is still too early to prohibit the death penalty, considering present social conditions. The KBA said it sent a document to the National Assembly to make clear its position on the issue.
"We' re not expressing our reservations about the bill because we oppose it altogether, but we feel more studies of our society are needed," said Huh Jung, a KBA official.
The KBA believes capital punishment is a sensitive issue that should not be addressed in haste, and that any decision about the proposed law requires thorough analysis of current social conditions, despite the global trend favouring abolition. The association, which has over 4,600 members nationwide, said the death penalty issue needs to be approached from the viewpoint that human life is sacred and cannot be sacrificed or used as a means to an end.
If the National Assembly passes the bill, the KBA believes that social disorder may arise, considering the country's social conditions as well as public sentiment.
"At this point, we need more public discussion on the death penalty and need to carefully consider the views of citizens and reach a public consensus," Huh said. The official said the KBA would conduct a poll by the end of November, soliciting its members' views on the bill.
"The consensus reached by the KBA could either be 'for' or 'against' abolishing the death penalty," Huh said. "And whatever the outcome, a national consensus must still be reached before deciding whether to pass the bill."