Hong Joon-pyo, Mayor of Daegu, Urges Retention and Immediate Enforcement of the Death Penalty

Hong Joon-pyo, the Mayor of Daegu, has called for a strong response to heinous crimes, urging the retention of the death penalty and the immediate execution of death row inmates.

This is interpreted as an emphasis on the severity of the law and a strategy to garner support from the conservative base. Mayor Hong plans to resign from his position to enter the primary race for the presidential candidate of the People Power Party.

Through social media, Mayor Hong stated, "There are currently over 60 confirmed death row inmates, including criminals like Kang Ho-soon and Yoo Young-chul," and emphasized, "To protect the citizens from a world rife with heinous criminals, confirmed death row inmates must be executed in accordance with criminal procedure law."

He also questioned, "While some argue that we must respect the right to life of death row inmates, should we not also respect the right to life of the citizens who have fallen victim to their brutal crimes?"

Furthermore, Mayor Hong pointed out, "The law should only protect the right to life of those worth protecting." He argued that a society advocating for the right to life of heinous criminals, who have refused to act like human beings, will only lead to chaos and disorder, allowing similar heinous crimes to continue recurring.

He referenced cases from the United States and Japan, asserting that delaying executions due to human rights issues is inappropriate.

Mayor Hong cited provisions of the criminal procedure law, explaining that implementing the death penalty is the path to a just society.

The Republic of Korea has been classified as effectively a "death penalty abolitionist country" since the last execution in 1997, and currently, there are 61 death row inmates.

Image source: News1, Yoo Young-chul / SBS 'I Want to Know That'