Speaking Out about the Death Penalty

Korean students express their viewpoints on the controversial issue of the death penalty.

Takehiro Noda from Japan
What do I think of the death penalty? I find it is a bad idea. Sometimes the wrong person is found guilty. If a person has been executed for a crime he did not commit, we can't bring him back to life. Today, technology has made it possible to have reliable evidence, so we won't make these kinds of mistakes. Therefore, the death penalty is wrong.

Young Sun Hong (Cherol) from Korea
I don't support the death penalty, because it's not a kind of punishment, and it does not cut the crime rate. Also, if we execute the criminals, we are murders, too. It's better to find another way to punish them. Instead of killing the criminals, we should put them in prison. And then we can watch them carefully. If they're become better people, after many years, maybe we can parole them. It's a better solution.

The death plenty has always been an important part of society because most people believe that it might be effectively deter other criminals. However, a criminal, even a murderer, is a precious human being even though he took another person's life. I think that the death penalty is not humane.

Hyun Su Kim from Korea
Nowadays, the death penalty is a controversial issue. Some people are for the death penalty, while others say differently. However, I think that the death penalty is unnecessary because I think that many prisoners die without a second chance to regret their crime. Even though they make trouble, we have to respect a human's right to dignity. Also we are people. People always make mistakes. So, I think some judgements can be wrong. And an innocent person can die.

Yong Hyun Lee from Korea
I don't support the death penalty. If someonewho commits a serious crime is sentenced to die, he will get off easy. I think that he has to reflect on his criminal act through suffering. For example, he should have to work physically in prison. Moreover, if a judge sentences him to die, it will be murder, too.

Ji Hye Kang from Korea
I don't agree with the death penalty. I am against it. I think the death penalty infringes on a human being's basic right. The most important right is to preserve people's lives. Nobody can end someone's life even if that person did the worst thing. I mean the worst thing is to kill people. If someone killed other people, other people cannot forgive him . Even so, we cannot kill the murderer because a murder also has the right to live. Instead of the death penalty, I suggest life imprisonment. It can change a person's spirit or mind.

Hyo-Jin Shim (Wendy) from Korea

I'm against capital punishment. No one has the right to kill someone, not even the government. Instead of killing them we should put them in prison for life.