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Capital Punishment Debate Resurfaces

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2010-03-25

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Korea's Justice Minister recently hinted that the 13-year-old virtual moratorium on capital punishment could soon end for those convicted of "capital offenses.''
The shift came on the heels of the capture of convicted rapist Kim Gil-tae who's charged with rape and murder of a school girl in Busan.
To tell us more about this hotly contested issue of capital punishment Kim Minjung is here with us in the studio.
Hello‚ Minjung.
[Interview : ] Hello‚ as you know‚ the debate surrounding the death penalty‚ on whether to keep it or do away with it once and for all‚ is nothing new to Korea.
But this time‚ with the arrest of a suspected child killer and the justice minister's recent remark about gearing up another execution center the dialogue has been leveled up a notch.
I began the report by asking some passersby on the streets of Seoul their thoughts on the issue. Here's what they had to say.
[Interview : Park Hyung-soon] "We're talking about people who've seemingly given up all meaning of being human by committing those crimes. If they are sentenced to life imprisonment‚ I'm afraid that after 10 or 20 years some might get their sentences reduced or even be pardoned. I think the death penalty is a necessary evil."
[Interview : Kim Ji-sun] "Death row inmates have done cruel things to innocent people. I think they have to pay the price."
[Interview : Kang Seul-ki] "Although what they've done may be bad‚ they're still humans whose lives must be respected. What's the point of putting them to death when it's not going to undo their wrongs‚ or bring back their victims[Interview : Han Ki-ho] "People who oppose the death penalty emphasize the rights of criminals. Imagine if it's one of your family members who has been the victim of a gruesome murder. I get angry when foes of capital punishment make that assertion."
As you can see‚ even though a few weeks have passed since the murder-rapist was nabbed‚ emotions still run high and just mentioning the name Kim Gil-tae makes some people shudder.
Among the handful of people I spoke with on the streets of Seoul‚ nearly all‚ by and large‚ shared the same sentiment as the rest of the country.
A poll of some 3-thousand people taken by the Yeouido Institute‚ a policy arm of the conservative Grand National Party‚ taken just after the 33-year-old ex-con was captured‚ showed that some 83 percent favored the death penalty‚ and only 11 percent were against it.
This is in stark contrast with last year's figures‚ when just 66 percent of those polled were FOR capital punishment and more than 20 percent said the country should do away with it.
But what really reignited this well-worn debate was a strongly worded comment last week by someone whose opinion weighs MOST heavily on the outcome.
Justice Minister Lee Kwinam ‚ whose "Yes" signature would send death row inmates walking the green mile within days of a decision‚ spoke out on the issue during a recent visit to Korea's highest security prison‚ often compared to the infamous Alcatraz in the U.S.
CG: rights to life"))
Death row opponents take issue with that argument made by Korea's highest court.
[Interview : Kim Won-kyu‚ Deputy director
National Human Rights Commission of Korea] "Advocates say enforcing the death penalty reduces crime levels‚ but they can't seem to back it up with scientific proof. Also‚ the rights of the victim cannot be restored or reinforced by taking a criminal's life. All it does‚ really‚ is satisfy the need for revenge."
They also worry the system unfairly targets the poor and disenfranchised‚ those who can't afford good legal counsel‚ and quote one saying heard in the US that capital punishment means those without the capital get the punishment.
But death penalty advocates‚ including the ruling Gra

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