Death row inmate makes failed suicide attempt

SEOUL, Dec. 10 (Yonhap) -- A convicted serial killer on death row is in critical
condition after a failed attempt to commit suicide, law enforcement officials
said Thursday.
The inmate, identified only by his last name Kim, was found unconscious after
trying to hang himself inside his prison cell located in Daejeon, 164 kilometers
south of Seoul, the Justice Ministry said, noting he is presently hospitalized in
a nearby hospital.
The 42-year-old Kim was convicted in 2006 and was given the death penalty for
killing three women, the ministry said.
Last month, a 40-year-old death row inmate died after trying to kill himself,
leaving behind a note indicating his belief that the government has no intention
of abolishing capital punishment.
Since its foundation in 1948, South Korea has executed a total of 920 people,
according to a Justice Ministry report sent to parliament. The last execution was
carried out in December 1997.
There has been an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty since February 1998
when then President Kim Dae-jung -- who himself was sentenced to death in 1980, a
sentence that was later pardoned -- took office.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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