National Assembly passed the law for terminating treatment to prolong their lives against patient's will. It will come into force until the next February. According to the enactment of the law, hospitals received many requests for dignity death program from patients in a terminal stage. More than 3,000 people seem to have applied for the program.
Independent: More than 3,000 sign up to die in South Korean palliative care trial
Confucianism is traditional thoughts in South Korea. There is no dominant religious ideology to prohibit suicide. And as same as Japan, Korea is suffering from the high suicide rate. Therefore, dignity death will be relatively well accepted in the Korean society, in my opinion.
It should be avoided that physicians who had aided patient's will for dignity death are sued afterward. In Japan, premature legislation caused some legal troubles in this issue. It has led the delay of the establishment of dignity death scheme. I hope Korean people will make a choice based on their sincere thoughts regarding the end of the life and physicians will properly support them.
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