Sources in the ministry said the government had already given the green light to the revision to the country's Criminal Act, with the bill now to be officially sent to South Korea's unicameral parliament for discussion, Yonhap reported.
Under the current legislation, a criminal sentenced to life in prison has an opportunity for parole after serving their sentence for 20 years.
The possible changes to the criminal act aim to ensure "heinous criminals [might] pay a price corresponding to their crimes and be isolated from society," the sources in the justice ministry were quoted by the newspaper as saying.
The bill, however, has already faced criticism both from the public and from some government agencies. In August, the South Korean Supreme Court expressed its opposition to the idea, saying that such a penalty would totally replace the death sentence, the newspaper reported.
South Korea has not carried out any executions since 1997, Yonhap reported.