WelCom April 2023
The Catholic Church in South Korea has officially petitioned the government for a total abolition of the death penalty, saying it is ineffective in curbing criminal offences. The petition was signed by 75,843 Catholics, including all 25 Korean bishops, by priests, religious and lay people from the 16 dioceses. Even though South Korea has had an abolitionist stance for more than 25 years, the death penalty is still technically permitted there. ‘The Republic of Korea must go beyond the moratorium on executions to become a country that completely abolishes the death penalty,’ the petition says, reiterating that the state must ‘break the vicious circle of violence’.