23 hanged in South Korea

Seoul - Twenty-three death-row inmates were hanged in South Korean jails yesterday, including a policeman who shot dead four people in a personal grudge. Twenty-one had been convicted of murder. The other two were guilty of rape and robbery. Reports said the government was trying to deter crime by showing a tough stand. There have been fears that crime might increase because of South Korea's economic woes and the huge unemployment expected as a result.