Despite a steady campaign by rights groups to abolish capital punishment, a majority of South Koreans supported executions as a legal penalty, reflecting widespread concerns about a sharp increase in violent crimes, according to a survey.
A survey of 511 adults, conducted by pollster Realmeter, showed 52.8 percent supported execution of a death penalty while 9.6 percent called for the abolishment of capital punishment. Some 33 percent wanted a moratorium on executions that was enacted by ex-president Kim Dae-jung in February 1998.
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in South Korea with its criminal code regulating executions as a form of punishment for crimes including rebellion, conspiracy with foreign countries, and homicide.
Since the last execution took place in December 1997, capital punishment has been a controversial issue in South Korea. In a 2009 survey, seven of ten people said South Korea should maintain a death penalty. The Constitutional Court upheld capital punishment in 2010, but a public perception has since changed thanks by a campaign by human rights groups.
On February 19, 2016, the Supreme Court upheld a death sentence for a 24-year-old army sergeant, identified by his surname Lim, who killed five fellow soldiers in a shooting rampage at his camp near the border with North Korea in 2014. He became the 61st person on death row in South Korea