Ruling party moving to toughen penalties for felons

SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- The ruling party is considering introducing a bill that
would sentence felons to life imprisonment without the possibility of
commutation, parole or pardon, a party lawmaker said Sunday.
The move comes after a serial killing case sent shock waves through the nation
and sparked public calls for tougher punishment of those convicted of heinous
crimes. Kang Ho-soon, 38, is accused of murdering seven women over the past two
years.
"Kang's case should be viewed as an opportunity to revamp the legal system to
defend people from horrible crimes," said Rep. Jang Yoon-seok of the Grand
National Party in a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency.
"In particular, criminals like Kang must be isolated from society to prevent such
crimes from happening again," the lawmaker said.
The governing party will thus consider the introduction of "absolute life
imprisonment," which would rule out the possibility of sentence reduction, parole
or pardon for convicts serving life sentences, he said.
Those serving life sentences in South Korea can have their sentences commuted for
good behavior while incarcerated, which has raised doubts over the efficacy of
such punishment.
Last week, the ruling party also said it would "actively discuss" with the
Ministry of Justice ending the de facto ban on executions.
In an interview with a local radio station on Friday, GNP leader Park Hee-tae
supported the execution of criminals guilty of heinous crimes, saying they
"should be done."
Although South Korean courts have continued to hand down the death penalty, the
country has not carried out an execution since 1997. Human rights groups like
Amnesty International designate South Korea as "abolitionist in practice."
(END)