Korea’s Human Rights Watchdog Renews Call to Abolish Death Penalty

South Korea’s national human rights watchdog has called for renewed action toward abolishing the death penalty, arguing that the country’s nearly three-decade pause in executions shows public safety can be maintained without capital punishment.

National Human Rights Commission of Korea Chairperson Ahn Chang-ho issued the appeal on Saturday in a statement marking the 24th World Day Against the Death Penalty. South Korea has not carried out an execution since Dec. 30, 1997, although capital punishment remains available under the law.

Ahn said the period without executions has demonstrated that the criminal justice system can remain stable while protecting society. He described that experience as an important basis for moving the debate beyond a temporary suspension and toward a review of whether the death penalty should remain on the statute books.

The commission also placed the Korean debate in an international context. Citing Amnesty International figures, Ahn said 145 countries had abolished the death penalty in law or practice as of the end of last year, representing roughly three-quarters of countries worldwide.

At the same time, the statement acknowledged concerns surrounding violent crime. Ahn said any discussion of abolition must account for the suffering of victims and their families as well as public demands for safety. He argued, however, that protecting victims’ rights and strengthening crime prevention should be considered separately from the question of whether the state should retain the authority to take a person’s life as punishment.

Ahn also emphasized that an execution is irreversible and cannot be corrected through a later judicial or legal process. That risk, he said, should be part of the government’s and legislature’s assessment of capital punishment.

The commission urged the government and National Assembly to review legislative and institutional steps toward abolition, taking into account South Korea’s experience, international human rights standards, victim support and public safety. It also called for debate on joining the United Nations’ Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, an international agreement aimed at eliminating the death penalty.

The latest statement does not itself change Korean law, but it renews pressure on policymakers to address the gap between the country’s formal retention of capital punishment and its long-standing practice of not conducting executions.