Prominent activist urges Korea to end death penalty

When France abolished the death penalty in 1981, public opinion was largely opposed to the move, with nearly 65 percent of the population supporting its retention. Nonetheless, then-President François Mitterrand pressed ahead with abolition, making it a cornerstone of his administration’s early reforms. A gradual but uneven decline in public support for the death penalty in France followed the change. If Korea is to move toward abolition, it must take a similar approach, according to Raphaël Chenuil-Hazan, executive director of ECPM, a France-based nonprofit organization advocating for the universal abolition of capital punishment. “As seen in France and other countries, abolishing the death penalty is possible only when there is political courage and political willingness,” Chenuil-Hazan said during an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul on Tuesday. “I really hope President Lee Jae-myung will show his leadership to end it.” His comments come as the Korean president, who was elected last week on promises to champion human rights of all individuals, works to form his admi

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