Why is the death penalty important in UK foreign policy?

The UK Government believes that the denial of the right to life is denial of the ultimate human right and opposes capital punishment as a matter principle. Together with EU partners, we promote the abolition of capital punishment around the world.

The UK abolished the death penalty for murder in 1965 and became fully abolitionist in 1998. In the same year, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office established panel of academic, legal, medical and NGO experts to advise on a strategy to promote global abolition.

The UK actively worked towards the 2007 and 2008 UN General Assembly resolutions calling for a global moratorium. We believe these landmark moratoriums demonstrate that momentum continues to shift towards global abolition.  

What about the death penalty in the Republic of Korea?

South Korea should be proud of its 'Abolitionist in Practice' status - it is now over 11 years since the last execution. However, we should also remember that there is still no legal bar to the death penalty.

Unfortunately things go wrong in every society from time to time and horrific crimes happen. Citizens of every society need to have confidence in the criminal justice system and those who enforce it, but there is margin for error in all systems and executions are final. The risk of executing the innocent can never be eliminated and, in the past, Korea has born witness to irreversibility of the death penalty as seen in the January 2007 ruling that acquitted eight pro-democracy activists' thirty years after they were hanged.

The UK Government welcomes moves by Korean parliamentarians to introduce abolitionist legislation in the National Assembly and urges the Korean Government to become a regional leader and formally abolish capital punishment.

What kind of work does the British Embassy do on the death penalty in Korea?

Our activities over the past year include:

Ambassador Martin Uden spoke at a National Assembly event on World Death Penalty Day in 2008. See press coverage on the Segye, Yonhap and Newsis websites.

Sponsoring a visit to Korea by Professor Peter Hodgkinson of the University of Westminster Centre for Capital Punishment Studies in December 2008. See press coverage on the Joongang and Hankyoreh websites.

Sponsoring a visit to Korea by Alisdair Carmichael MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Abolition of the Death Penalty in February 2009. See press coverage on the Newsis website and his speech at a National Assembly seminar co-organised by Representative Park Sun-young and the British Embassy.

Where can I find out more?

• Foreign and Commonwealth Office (information on the death penalty in UK foreign policy)
• EU policy on the death penalty
• Amnesty International (general information on the death penalty)
• University of Westminster Centre for Capital Punishment Studies
• University of Oxford Centre for Criminology
• 2008 United Nations General Assembly 3rd Committee Resolution A/C.3/63/L.19/Rev.1 ' Moratorium on the use of the death penalty'
• 2007 United Nations General Assembly 3rd Committee Resolution A/C.3/62/L.29/Rev.1 ' Moratorium on the use of the death penalty'