South Korea's Death Penalty: Forgotten, But Not Gone

March 4, 2010 at 11:40 AM

South Korea is, to my knowledge, the only place in the world where a former death row inmate went on to become President of the country (and to win the Nobel Peace Prize too). Kim Dae-jung was one of many political prisoners sentenced to death in South Korea in the 1980s. Amnesty International has issued a powerful short film about that era and the people who survived it. Interviews with the former President, and other former political prisoners, are interspersed with interviews with the man who served as Kim Dae-jung’s jailer.

South Korea has come a long way since the 1980s, and capital punishment, while still on the books, is no longer really used.  There have been no executions in more than 10 years.  Nonetheless, South Korea’s Constitutional Court recently ruled that the death penalty was still constitutional, though just barely.  The vote was 5-4.

Many countries that have moved to abolish the death penalty have done so because of its legacy as a tool of political suppression, and its clear link to other grave human rights violations like torture.  Amidst South Korea’s thriving democracy and powerful economy, the death penalty is nothing but an unused relic of an ugly past.

Post Views: 4,618

AIUSA welcomes a lively and courteous discussion that follow our Community Guidelines. Comments are not pre-screened before they post but AIUSA reserves the right to remove any comments violating our guidelines.

6 thoughts on “South Korea's Death Penalty: Forgotten, But Not Gone”

  1. What a powerful video…
    Having worked with the families of political prisoners in South Korea, I know from first-hand experience, just how many prisoners and families of prisoners considered Amnesty International to be truly the candle amidst darkness that brought light and hope to those that were in situations that could have crushed any sense of hope.
    Thank you for the video and the tremendous work that all your members do!

  2. What a powerful video…
    Having worked with the families of political prisoners in South Korea, I know from first-hand experience, just how many prisoners and families of prisoners considered Amnesty International to be truly the candle amidst darkness that brought light and hope to those that were in situations that could have crushed any sense of hope.
    Thank you for the video and the tremendous work that all your members do!

  3. Then what's your educated opinion on the death penalty in the U.S.? It's not really linked to political suppression here.

  4. Then what’s your educated opinion on the death penalty in the U.S.? It’s not really linked to political suppression here.

Comments are closed.