[COVER STORY] After interviewing 42 death row inmates, researcher believes capital punishment should end

Every weekday prior to 1997, inmates on death row in Korea endured the anticipation of execution between 6 and 9 a.m. Relief washed over them if the day passed without incident, only to be replaced with fear as they slept, questioning if the following morning would mark their final hours. Despite the cessation of executions on December 30, 1997, 56 individuals continue to be incarcerated, with 52 residing in Ministry of Justice correctional centers and four housed in military institutions.

Kim Dae-keun, a researcher at the Korean Institute of Criminology and Justice, conducted interviews with 42 of these inmates. A majority expressed shame, distress, or regret over their actions, according to Kim during an interview with The Korea Times. While these individuals likely exhibited brutality and fear during their crimes, many of those he met in prison had aged and become frail.

October 10 commemorates the World Day Against the Death Penalty, an international observance advocating for the abolition of capital punishment. In Korea, the day arrives with the death penalty still theoretically in effect but effectively unenforced. Most inmates now believe that executions will not be reinstated, as the belief persists that the practice has effectively ended.