South Korea
This country page describes, in brief, data that TJET has compiled on regime transitions, intrastate conflict episodes, and transitional justice mechanisms. For details on the data included on this page, view the FAQ.
For South Korea, TJET has collected information on: twelve amnesties between 1977 and 2010; 13 domestic trials starting between 1979 and 2018; four reparations policies created between 1990 and 2004; and four truth commissions mandated between 2000 and 2018.
Select any transitional justice mechanism in the table below to view a timeline in the figure.
Country Background
Democratic Transition
Based on well-known democracy data, TJET records one democratic transition starting in 1987.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Violent Conflict
Based on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, TJET records no episodes of violent intrastate conflict in South Korea between 1970 and 2020.
Transitional Justice Data
As of 2020, South Korea ranks 130th out of 174 on TJET’s legacy of violence index. For a full list of country rankings over time, view the index page, and for an explanation of the index, view the Methods & FAQs page.
Amnesties
South Korea had twelve amnesties between 1977 and 2010. Four occurred in the context of democratic transition. Twelve amnesties released political prisoners.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Domestic Trials
TJET has compiled data on 13 domestic prosecutions between 1979 and 2019. These include three transitional human rights prosecutions of state agents, in which four persons were convicted; eight regular human rights prosecutions of state agents, in which seven persons were convicted; and two opposition prosecutions of state agents or opposition members, in which five persons were convicted. In one trial that involved high-ranking state agents, no one was convicted.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Reparations Policies
South Korea implemented four reparations policies, starting in 2002. According to available information, there was a total of 4644 individual beneficiaries. Two reparations policies provided collective benefits. TJET found evidence on implementation only for two reparations policies.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Truth Commissions
South Korea mandated four truth commissions in 2000, 2005, and 2018. Three completed their operations by 2013. Three of the commissions issued final reports, which are publicly available. The reports included recommendations for prosecutions, reparations, and institutional reforms.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.