Government at UN Review: "Death Penalty is a Serious Issue... Requires Careful Consideration"

Our government stated at the UN (United Nations) Human Rights Committee's review of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights held in Geneva, Switzerland on the 19th-20th that regarding the abolition of the death penalty, "As it is a significant issue related to the fundamental nature of the state's criminal jurisdiction, it is necessary to carefully consider the criminal policy functions of the death penalty, domestic and international circumstances, and the possibility of alternative punishments comprehensively."

The South Korean government delegation is being questioned during the review of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights state report held in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo by Ministry of Justice

According to the Ministry of Justice on the 21st, the Korean government delegation, composed of eight related ministries and agencies, responded this way when questioned about the issue during the review of the Republic of Korea's 5th periodic report on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by the UN Human Rights Committee.

South Korea has not carried out any executions for 26 years since December 30, 1997, and is classified as a "de facto abolitionist country." Recently, a series of heinous crimes in everyday life have reignited debates over re-execution and abolition. Amid active discussions across various sectors, the government is interpreted to have expressed a fundamental position first.

In addition, the Human Rights Committee questioned the government on issues such as comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, the reorganization of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, alternative military service systems, restrictions on nighttime outdoor assemblies, and improvements in medical treatment within correctional facilities, receiving responses from our government.

The Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is an international treaty concerning civil and political rights and is one of the core UN human rights treaties. It addresses important fundamental rights such as equality, the right to life, freedom and security of the person, freedom of movement, privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and religion, and freedom of assembly. South Korea participated in the review for the first time in eight years since October 2015. Since ratifying the Covenant in April 1990, the government has regularly submitted national reports on the implementation status of the Covenant to the UN Human Rights Committee for review.

Seung Jae-hyun, Director of the Human Rights Bureau at the Ministry of Justice and the chief representative of the delegation, emphasized during the review, "Our government strives to respect universal values and human rights and to realize balanced human rights policies by gathering diverse opinions based on democracy and the rule of law."

The Human Rights Committee is known to have highly evaluated the government’s voluntary submission of follow-up reports following the 5th national report. It also viewed positively the enactment of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, the establishment of the Military Human Rights Protection Officer, improvements in involuntary hospitalization procedures, and strengthened support for victims of violence against women and children since the 4th review. The government plans to submit responses to additional questions within 48 hours after the review concludes. Upon receiving these, the Human Rights Committee will publicly release its final views on the review on the 3rd of next month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.