In 2024, the number of arrests for murder or manslaughter amounted to about *** cases in South Korea. In the past ten years, the figure of related arrests has decreased from almost *** such cases to below ***.

In 2023, South Korea recorded *** murder cases, with a crime rate of *** per 100,000 people. While this marks a decrease over the past decade, it shows an increase compared to the previous year.

Historical dataset showing South Korea murder/homicide rate per 100K population by year from 1990 to 2021.

In 2022, there were about *** homicide offenses per 100,000 people in South Korea. The homicide rate (including attempts) in South Korea has been falling steadily in recent years. 2022 marked the first increase in the homicide rate since 2015.

Actual value and historical data chart for South Korea Intentional Homicides Per 100 000 People

In 2023, the majority of male crime victims in South Korea were aged between 21 and 30, totaling around ******* victims. Similarly, the largest group of female victims was also in this age range, with approximately ****** victims.

In 2023, there were approximately ******* male and ******* female crime victims in South Korea. The number of male victims exceeded that of female victims throughout the surveyed period.

Korea Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data was reported at 0.639 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.687 Ratio for 2015. Korea Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data is updated yearly, averaging 0.687 Ratio from Dec 2011 (Median) to 2016, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.814 Ratio in 2011 and a record low of 0.639 Ratio in 2016. Korea Intentional Homicides: Male: per 100,000 Male data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Korea – Table KR.World Bank: Health Statistics. Intentional homicides, male are estimates of unlawful male homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.; ; UN Office on Drugs and Crime's International Homicide Statistics database.; ;

North Korea KP: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data was reported at 4.400 Ratio in 2015. This records a decrease from the previous number of 4.800 Ratio for 2010. North Korea KP: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data is updated yearly, averaging 4.800 Ratio from Dec 2005 (Median) to 2015, with 3 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.100 Ratio in 2005 and a record low of 4.400 Ratio in 2015. North Korea KP: Intentional Homicides: per 100,000 People data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank: Health Statistics. Intentional homicides are estimates of unlawful homicides purposely inflicted as a result of domestic disputes, interpersonal violence, violent conflicts over land resources, intergang violence over turf or control, and predatory violence and killing by armed groups. Intentional homicide does not include all intentional killing; the difference is usually in the organization of the killing. Individuals or small groups usually commit homicide, whereas killing in armed conflict is usually committed by fairly cohesive groups of up to several hundred members and is thus usually excluded.; ; UN Office on Drugs and Crime's International Homicide Statistics database.; Weighted average;

According to a survey conducted in South Korea in 2024, around ** percent of respondents stated that crime was a serious issue in the country. According to the source, about ** percent of respondents felt that crime in South Korea had increased compared to the previous year.

Number, percentage and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, by racialized identity group (total, by racialized identity group; racialized identity group; South Asian; Chinese; Black; Filipino; Arab; Latin American; Southeast Asian; West Asian; Korean; Japanese; other racialized identity group; multiple racialized identity; racialized identity, but racialized identity group is unknown; rest of the population; unknown racialized identity group), gender (all genders; male; female; gender unknown) and region (Canada; Atlantic region; Quebec; Ontario; Prairies region; British Columbia; territories), 2019 to 2024.

In 2023, there were ** people under sentence of death in South Korea. As of 2024, South Korea retains the death penalty under Article ** of the Criminal Code but is classified as an "abolitionist in practice country," meaning that the death penalty has not actually been executed in the last ten years. The last execution of the death penalty took place in 1997.

During the Korean War (1950-1953), more than ******* civilians were killed on the South Korean side and about ******* on the North Korean side. The Korean War, which began on *************, and ended with an armistice in 1953, was one of the largest proxy wars after the Second World War. The war led to millions of casualties, including approximately *** million military personnel.

The United States military entered the Korean War in July 1950 and fought on the side of South Korea against the communist forces of North Korea and the People's Republic of China until August 1953. In total, the United States military would suffer almost 37,000 deaths through hostilities. Of these, servicemembers in the Army made up the vast majority of deaths (82.19 percent), with most of these being the result of soldiers being killed in action. A smaller number of marines and navy servicemembers were killed in Korea, with the majority also having been killed in action for these groups. For the United States Air Force, the composition of total deaths is quite different, as the majority of pilots killed during the conflict were declared dead after going missing in action. This likely reflects the fact that when an airplane was shot from the sky in battle, the remains of the pilots are not recoverable.

The Korean War was an international military conflict which lasted from June 1950 until July 1953, which pitted the communist forces of North Korea, the Soviet Union, and the People's Republic of China against South Korea and a U.S.-led UN force comprised of troops from over 20 additional countries. The war was the United States' first major military engagement of the Cold War, the period of rivalry and heightened tension between the world's two superpowers, the U.S. and Soviet Union. While the war was one of the deadliest in the Cold War and the 20th century in general, it resulted in a stalemate between the North and South, with the boundary between the two countries remaining to this day at the 38th parallel line. The two countries remain technically at war to the present day, as the South's dictator, Syngman Rhee, refused to sign the peace agreement which in practice ended the fighting in the war.

U.S. military deaths in Korea

The majority of U.S. military fatalities during the Korean War were battle deaths (63 percent), with a smaller number of deaths while missing (12 percent), deaths while captured (eight percent), or deaths from battle wounds (seven percent). In addition, around three percent of deaths were from airplane crashes which were not caused by hostile forces, with another seven percent dying of other causes unrelated to battle. In total around 36,000 U.S. military servicemembers were killed in Korea, out of a total of around 40,000 deaths for the UN forces combined. The war was the United States' second deadliest conflict of the Cold War, as well as its fifth deadliest ever, after the Vietnam War, World War I, World War II, and the Civil War.