Latest news with #CriminalAct
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Death penalty for saying ‘oppa'?: North Korea strengthens law to curb ‘anti-socialist culture' in the South
People walk on a street outside a department store in Pyongyang on Thursday (May 29, 2025). -- PHOTO: AFP PYONGYANG (Korea Herald/ANN): North Korea has strengthened its law to control foreign cultural influences by increasing the severity of criminal punishments against the spread of 'anti-socialist culture', going so far as to impose the death penalty, the Ministry of Justice said on May 30. According to the ministry, which recently analysed North Korea's revised Criminal Act, North Korea expanded the scope of the death penalty to special criminal laws regarding drug crimes, reactionary ideology and culture, including from South Korea, dubbed Hallyu, or the Korean Wave. Seoul explained that North Korea's recent revision stemmed from the view that it perceives the influx of South Korean culture, like popular use of the term 'oppa', as a possible threat to the regime. 'Oppa' is a term used by South Korean women when they address not only an older male sibling, but also an older male who belongs to the same community or one's romantic partner. While North Korea restricts the usage of 'oppa' to its original usage meaning older brother, a growing number of North Korean people in their 20s and 30s have started using 'oppa' in the South Korean way, according to the Justice Ministry. The explanation was part of the government's comprehensive commentaries on North Korea's Criminal Act revisions in December 2023, analysing all 329 articles of the law. While increasing the number of criminal offenses eligible for the death penalty from 11 to 16, North Korea removed articles that previously included references to national reunification to reflect the changed nature of inter-Korean relations as 'two hostile states'. Additional provisions have been introduced to strengthen the protection of national symbols by creating a new offense for damaging the national flag or emblem, according to the Justice Ministry. It claimed that the revised criminal law included articles reflecting sanctions imposed by the international community as well. 'We hope that the analysis will serve as a foundation for future research, which is aimed to effectively address the integration of South and North Korea's legal systems. The ministry will continue to make efforts to prepare for the unification of legal and institutional frameworks on the Korean Peninsula,' said the ministry. The ministry stated that it did not only make explanations to the legal elements outlined in each article of North Korean Criminal Act, but also created comparative legal studies with the criminal laws of South Korea, Russia, China and Vietnam. -- THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Death penalty for saying ‘oppa'?: North Korea strengthens law to curb ‘anti-socialist culture' in the South
People walk on a street outside a department store in Pyongyang on May 29. PHOTO: AFP Death penalty for saying 'oppa'?: North Korea strengthens law to curb 'anti-socialist culture' in the South PYONGYANG - North Korea has strengthened its law to control foreign cultural influences by increasing the severity of criminal punishments against the spread of 'anti-socialist culture', going so far as to impose the death penalty, the Ministry of Justice said on May 30. According to the ministry, which recently analysed North Korea's revised Criminal Act, North Korea expanded the scope of the death penalty to special criminal laws regarding drug crimes, reactionary ideology and culture, including from South Korea, dubbed Hallyu, or the Korean Wave. Seoul explained that North Korea's recent revision stemmed from the view that it perceives the influx of South Korean culture, like popular use of the term 'oppa', as a possible threat to the regime. 'Oppa' is a term used by South Korean women when they address not only an older male sibling, but also an older male who belongs to the same community or one's romantic partner. While North Korea restricts the usage of 'oppa' to its original usage meaning older brother, a growing number of North Korean people in their 20s and 30s have started using 'oppa' in the South Korean way, according to the Justice Ministry. The explanation was part of the government's comprehensive commentaries on North Korea's Criminal Act revisions in December 2023, analysing all 329 articles of the law. While increasing the number of criminal offenses eligible for the death penalty from 11 to 16, North Korea removed articles that previously included references to national reunification to reflect the changed nature of inter-Korean relations as 'two hostile states'. Additional provisions have been introduced to strengthen the protection of national symbols by creating a new offense for damaging the national flag or emblem, according to the Justice Ministry. It claimed that the revised criminal law included articles reflecting sanctions imposed by the international community as well. 'We hope that the analysis will serve as a foundation for future research, which is aimed to effectively address the integration of South and North Korea's legal systems. The ministry will continue to make efforts to prepare for the unification of legal and institutional frameworks on the Korean Peninsula,' said the ministry. The ministry stated that it did not only make explanations to the legal elements outlined in each article of North Korean Criminal Act, but also created comparative legal studies with the criminal laws of South Korea, Russia, China and Vietnam. KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Death penalty for saying 'oppa'? N. Korea strengthens law to curb 'anti-socialist culture'
North Korea has strengthened its law to control foreign cultural influences by increasing the severity of criminal punishments against the spread of "anti-socialist culture," going so far as to impose the death penalty, the Ministry of Justice said Friday. According to the ministry, which recently analyzed North Korea's revised Criminal Act, North Korea expanded the scope of the death penalty to special criminal laws regarding drug crimes, reactionary ideology and culture, including from South Korea, dubbed Hallyu, or the Korean Wave. Seoul explained that North Korea's recent revision stemmed from the view that it perceives the influx of South Korean culture, like popular use of the term 'oppa,' as a possible threat to the regime. "Oppa" is a term used by South Korean women when they address not only an older male sibling, but also an older male who belongs to the same community or one's romantic partner. While North Korea restricts the usage of "oppa" to its original usage meaning older brother, a growing number of North Korean people in their 20s and 30s have started using "oppa" in the South Korean way, according to the Justice Ministry. The explanation was part of the government's comprehensive commentaries on North Korea's Criminal Act revisions in December 2023, analyzing all 329 articles of the law. While increasing the number of criminal offenses eligible for the death penalty from 11 to 16, North Korea removed articles that previously included references to national reunification to reflect the changed nature of inter-Korean relations as 'two hostile states.' Additional provisions have been introduced to strengthen the protection of national symbols by creating a new offense for damaging the national flag or emblem, according to the Justice Ministry. It claimed that the revised criminal law included articles reflecting sanctions imposed by the international community as well. 'We hope that the analysis will serve as a foundation for future research, which is aimed to effectively address the integration of South and North Korea's legal systems. The ministry will continue to make efforts to prepare for the unification of legal and institutional frameworks on the Korean Peninsula,' said the ministry. The ministry stated that it did not only make explanations to the legal elements outlined in each article of North Korean Criminal Act, but also created comparative legal studies with the criminal laws of South Korea, Russia, China and Vietnam.
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Korea Herald
North Korea strengthens law to curb 'anti-socialist culture': Justice Ministry
North Korea has strengthened its law to control foreign cultural influences by increasing the severity of criminal punishments against the spread of "anti-socialist culture," going so far as to impose the death penalty, the Ministry of Justice said Friday. According to the ministry, which recently analyzed North Korea's revised Criminal Act, North Korea expanded the scope of the death penalty to special criminal laws regarding drug crimes, reactionary ideology and culture, including from South Korea, dubbed Hallyu, or the Korean Wave. Seoul explained that North Korea's recent revision stemmed from the view that it perceives the influx of South Korean culture, like popular use of the term 'oppa,' as a possible threat to the regime. Oppa is a term used by South Korean women when they address an older male family member, friend or romantic partner. The explanation was part of comprehensive commentaries on North Korea's Criminal Act revisions in December 2023, analyzing all 329 articles of the law. While increasing the number of criminal offenses eligible for the death penalty from 11 to 16, North Korea removed articles that previously included references to national reunification to reflect the changed nature of inter-Korean relations as 'two hostile states.' Additional provisions have been introduced to strengthen the protection of national symbols by creating a new offense for damaging the national flag or emblem, according to the Justice Ministry. It claimed that the revised criminal law included articles reflecting sanctions imposed by the international community as well. 'We hope that the analysis will serve as a foundation for future research, which is aimed to effectively address the integration of South and North Korea's legal systems. The ministry will continue to make efforts to prepare for the unification of legal and institutional frameworks on the Korean Peninsula,' said the ministry. The ministry stated that it did not only make explanations to the legal elements outlined in each article of North Korean Criminal Act, but also created comparative legal studies with the criminal laws of South Korea, Russia, China and Vietnam.
Korea Herald
26-05-2025
- Korea Herald
School killer submits 27 'letters of remorse' while in custody
Suspected murderer of 7-year-old admits charges, requests assessment for her mental health in 1st court hearing Myeong Jae-wan, the former elementary school teacher accused of murdering a 7-year-old student at her school on Feb. 10, has sent multiple letters of remorse and apology to the legal authorities ahead of her first court hearing Monday. It was reported that, as of Friday, the 48-year-old sent 27 letters to the court since hiring a lawyer on April 11. She also submitted a professional psychiatric evaluation of herself, leading to speculation that she would try claim diminished responsibility for the crime. In the hearing Monday morning at the Daejeon District Court, Myeong's lawyer requested a psychiatric evaluation of his client to the court, saying there was a need to determine how much her mental state had been a factor in the crime. She has admitted to all charges. Article 10 of the Criminal Act absolves the legal liability of those who are unable to control their actions due to mental illness. It has been found that the defendant had been treated for depression since up to eight years before the murder, and had taken six months' leave for mental health reasons on Dec. 9, but returned to work early on Dec. 30. Police investigators have categorized Myeong's crime as being of "abnormal motive" defined as an offense without clear or conventional motives. But prosecutors do not believe that her crime is directly related to her mental state or her medical history. Myeong had searched online for information related to murder before commiting the crime and hid the murder weapon beforehand, leading to the prosecution believing that it was a premediated attack. The victim, Kim Ha-neul, was a first-grader of an elementary school in Daejeon. She was lured by the defendant and attacked inside the school, dying despite receiving medical treatment at a nearby hospital. Can 'I'm sorry' lead to leniency? Submitting letters of remorse to court is a strategy opted by several people facing conviction, in a bid to reduce their sentences as much as possible. Trot singer Kim Ho-joong, whose two-year, six-month prison term for drunk driving was confirmed in May, reportedly submitted 100 letters to the appellate court in the month of February alone before the sentencing hearing. Genuine remorse by a defendant is cited as a general sentencing factor by the Sentencing Commission under the Supreme Court, which offers non-binding guidelines to judges in Korea. According to its definition, when evaluating remorse, courts should consider how the defendant came to admit their crime, and the efforts they made to repair the damage they inflicted and to ensure they would not commit similar crimes in the future. As such, submitting such letters itself is not a sentencing factor, but the court can give a lighter sentence based on its assessment of how remorseful the defendant is. According to Lawyer Cheon Chan-hee's column on law service platform Law Talk, whether or not a letter of remorse actually reduces sentence is largely based on who the judge is. "Some judges consider (letter of remorse) while sentencing, while others more consider whether or not (the defendant) had reached a settlement with the victim and compensated for the damage. How much a letter of remorse affects the sentence differs depending on the judge," he wrote. Recent data indicates that fewer judges are deciding to mitigate sentences because of letters of apology from the defendant. In 2022, there were 187 rulings that reduced sentences for "serious remorse" by the defendant, according to October data by the Sentencing Commission submitted to Rep. Seo Young-kyo of the Democratic Party of Korea. That was 4.1 percent of all rulings in the year, and marked a drastic decrease from the 1,265 of such rulings in 2021 and 1,515 rulings in 2020, which were each 27.3 percent of all rulings and 31.6 percent of all rulings in the respective years.
