South Korea death row inmates average 58.7 years old

South Korea currently holds 52 death row inmates in correctional facilities, with an average age of 58.7 years, according to data from the Ministry of Justice. As the country has not carried out an execution since December 1997, Amnesty International has classified South Korea as a ‘practically abolitionist state’ since 2007.

The inmate population is aging, with 32.7% of death row prisoners aged 60 or older. Notable inmates remaining in custody include serial killers Yoo Young-chul and Kang Ho-sun. The longest-serving death row inmate is Won Eon-sik, who has been imprisoned for 35 years following a 1992 arson attack.

The Constitutional Court of Korea is currently reviewing a third constitutional petition regarding the constitutionality of the death penalty, a process that has been ongoing for eight years. While previous rulings in 1996 and 2010 upheld the legality of the death penalty, legal experts note that the margin of support among justices is narrowing. Due to the ongoing debate, some legal professionals and courts have suggested the introduction of ‘absolute life imprisonment’—a sentence without the possibility of parole—as a potential alternative to the death penalty.