China executes South Korean drug trafficker in landmark case. The landmark sentence, the first in nearly a decade on a foreign national, was confirmed by Chinese foreign ministry officials in Guangzhou.
The court in Guangzhou lawfully pronounced the verdict and executed the defendant, identified as Jiang by Chinese authorities (Kang in Korean), for being involved in drug trafficking on Chinese soil. China emphasized its commitment to applying its laws equally to all individuals, regardless of their nationality.
Seoul’s foreign ministry expressed regret over the execution, confirming that the death penalty was executed against their citizen who had been sentenced to death for drug selling in China.
The South Korean government had made several humanitarian-based requests for reconsideration or postponement of the execution since the death sentence was announced in 2019.
The individual was arrested in China in 2014 for being in possession of 5 kilograms of methamphetamine. His execution marks the first of a South Korean drug offender in China in nine years. The event has raised concerns and sparked reactions both in China and South Korea.
