Take a Stand on the Death Penalty

I would like to take a stand on the death penalty. I believe the death penalty should continue to be legal in Korea. The main reasons are as follows.

First, the death penalty acts as a deterrent to crime and second conviction. Although homicide has the lowest recidivism rate among five major crimes in Korea, its figure reaches 10%. If the costs of doing something bad become too high, people will change their behavior to avoid those costs.  If the cost decreases, people will indulge in that behavior once more. Moreover, studies undertaken over a number of years show that 5 lives could be saved by each execution of a guilty killer. 

Secondly, the death penalty allows the state to exact appropriate retribution in order to realize social justice. Retribution is not the same as revenge. It is a necessary part of the punishment process. Without it, the friends and family of the victims as well as the public in general would not feel that justice had been served. In addition, the Korean Constitutional Court decided to maintain the death penalty in 2010 and 72% of people in Korea agree with the application of the death penalty.

Lastly, the cost for prisoners serving life sentences is an unfair financial burden on the state. According to the data, it costs about 2 million dollars per individual to keep prisoners in death row. It is unfairly burdensome on the members of society. We all work hard to make a living. Some people miss their meals since they cannot make enough money although they work hard all day. This is the reality of Korea. Assume that the criminals who took the lives of other people eat well and sleep well in the prison, even get vocational education for life after release with our taxes. Do you think it is fair, especially to the families of victims?

For these reasons, I strongly believe that the death penalty should remain legal.

The gender discussion

■ Are there certain jobs that you think men or women are better able to do?

It can be rash judgment since jobs are related to individual personality rather than gender. It seems, however, that women are more suited to detail-oriented tasks generally. It may have relevance to a meticulous nature that is one of women’s strength.

In contrast, men show strength in the service sector such as sales. Since men are relatively less sensitive when compared with women, men are good at handling issues rationally. The ability to think rationally certainly plays as the strength in the field.

■ Have you noticed any culture based differences in gender communication and behaviors?

Yes, I have. There is still a large gap between men and women in Korea although it has been changing because of the increase in the entry of women in public affairs. Like the old saying that a woman should be modest, Korea society does not prefer women to be very active.

In contrast, the gap is much narrower in the West so that they do not draw a line between men and women in a company and a house.

The level of gap is various even in the same Asia region. The conservative thought is more prevalent in Japan rather than in Korea.