서울 13 . 2 ℃ 비 
 대전 14 . 8 ℃ 비 
 광주 15 . 8 ℃ 흐림 
 등록 2018 . 12 . 03 17 : 44 : 24 
 The death penalty has not been used in Korea since December 30 th , 1997 . According to a public opinion poll in 2015 by Gallup Korea , 63 % of people agreed with using the death penalty and 27 % of people disagreed . This shows that most Korean people think that the death penalty must be used again . The reason for this is the many cases in which the court didn ’ t impose the ultimate penalty on very serious criminals . Despite this , some people still think that the death penalty should never be used . 
 As the number of indiscriminate murders has recently increased , the idea of using the death penalty again has also come up in the National Petition . It is because South Korea has practically abolished the death penalty . From my perspective , the act of killing a person is absolutely horrible . Therefore , this system is necessary for our country to prevent various crimes , which includes murder , from happening again . There are three reasons why this system should be enforced : crime prevention effect , social security , and no need to respect the right of the murderer . 
 First , if the government punishes murders strictly for crimes , it will help prevent crime . The way to prevent such crimes from happening again is to execute criminals convicted of murder . If the death penalty is enforced , the number of malicious crimes can be reduced due to fear that murderers may die because of the law . 
 Secondly , the death penalty for perpetrators of evil crimes is necessary because those criminals harm the safety and order of society . It is natural that a person deserves to be punished for his mistakes . If people take a person ’ s life away and live well without any punishment , they would not feel guilty about doing something that harms people , and then society will become confused and chaotic . 
 Lastly , there is no need to give rights to a person who has taken human life . Although the country has the obligation to protect and respect human rights , criminals have already violated the law by murder . No person who commits murder has the right to be forgiven . The murderer should atone for his crime , and if there is no sign of remorse , he must receive the death penalty . 
 In conclusion , it is necessary for our society to enforce the death penalty system . However , there has been no executions in South Korean society since 1997 , and the sentences of murderers are weaker that other foreign countries . In addition , there is a law that protects murderers who are mentally or physically handicapped . Of course , the human rights of all people are important . But should we respect the human rights of those who have taken another ’ s life away ? Just as criminals ’ lives are important , the lives of their victims are equally important . That is why I think there should be a death penalty . 
 ( Kang Min - jeong , Department of International Relations ) 
 When I read this article , I have the same thought as the reporter . Nowadays , there are so many brutal murder incidents with non - reasonable . Also , the murderer receives a lighter sentence . I think they are punished too lightly for what they did . Murder is something that can never happen even if it is mistaken . That is why the state needs to revive the death penalty from the prevention level . 
 These days , as people want more powerful punishments for criminals , the death penalty is a big issue . However , the voices that disagree with the death penalty are getting louder because the death penalty is one of the most severe punishment that ignores human rights in our society . I do not agree with the death penalty . 
 Many people think that stronger punishments cause fewer , crimes to be committed . It would work , if a society is very strict and controls every single person in the country . Currently most countries are democratic , which means governments don ’ t have the right to kill citizens . Because human rights are globally regarded as very important , 140 countries have removed the death penalty or suspended it in reality . Despite this , the homicide rate has been decreasing . According to the statistics from UNDOC ( United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime ) , globally , the number of people who were murdered per 100 , 000 people on average was 7 . 6 in 2004 and it decreased to 6 . 9 in 2010 . This means that the death penalty hasn ’ t help reduce crimes . 
 Murder is the most serious crime that a human being can commit . But is the death penalty the most proper punishment for murderers ? The death penalty system is not the heaviest penalty for murderers . Instead , they should be punished by spending the rest of their lives in jail , under the surveillance and regulation of law , without freedom . This will be the most powerful way to punish them . 
 Therefore , instead of killing murderers , brutal criminals should be given life imprisonment without parole . The most important part of the life imprisonment is the ‘ without parole ’ part . In Korea especially , there are so many criminals who were paroled by special amnesty or commutation . This is the biggest point why Korean people became furious and now agree with the death penalty . Alternatively , like in U . S . , prison sentences can be extremely long such as a thousand years so that no one can be released by commutation . 
 If the death penalty is in use because of the emotional reward for victims , our society cannot be truly righteous . Additionally , the government must continually take care of the victims with counseling and some financial assistance . Anti - death penalty is not anti - punishing criminals . We are not opposing the death penalty to help criminals , we think that the death penalty is not the best way to punish the criminals . Restraining the liberty and making them live forever in prison is the best way for everyone . 
 ( Jang Ji - eun , Department of Nursing ) 
 Koreans are reacting for crimes too emotionally these days and Korean courts are too generous in demanding penalties . Criminals should be punished by the law , not by emotion , with heavy penalties . However , I think death penalty is not the appropriate way to punish criminals , now in 21 st century .