Issue 3: Abolition of Death Penalty Status 13. International society has recommended abolition of death penalty by several means including the Committee’s concluding observations on the combined third to fifth periodic reports of the Republic of Korea (2017) and third Universal Periodic Review on the Republic of Korea (2017), however, the Korean government has not officially abolished death penalty to date. 14. While noting the moratorium on the application of the death penalty has been more than 20 years since 30 December 1997, there are still 61 persons on death row. 15. The NHRCK recommended to the Korean government for joining the “Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty” and the abolition of death penalty stipulated in Military Criminal Act, considering that; the death penalty is cruel and inhuman punishment which violates the essence of human dignity, values and the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution and international human rights standards; it is difficult to recognize the criminal deterrence of the death penalty; and the death penalty has not been executed for more than 20 years since 30 December 1997. 16. On the other hand, some argue that the death penalty is a punishment imposed only on violent crimes and it is necessary to punish with death penalty in view of the cruelty of the crime or severe pain, loss of the victim's family and national sentiment. The 2018 NHRCK survey on abolition of death penalty and alternative penalties showed that only 20.3% of 8