Over 3 million Koreans opt out of life-sustaining treatment

(123rf)

More than 3.2 million South Koreans have formally opted out of life-sustaining treatment in the event of incurable illness, according to data released Monday by the National Agency for Management of Life-sustaining Treatment.

The total stood at 3.2 million as of December, including 2.13 million women and 1.07 million men, reflecting a steady rise in participation in the country’s end-of-life decision system, often described as allowing a “dignified death.”

People aged 65 or older accounted for more than two-thirds of all registrants, or 2.37 million people.

The system was introduced in February 2018 under the Act on Decisions on Life-sustaining Treatment for Patients in Hospice and Palliative Care or at the End of Life.

About 86,000 people registered in its first year. The total surpassed 1 million in August 2021, 2 million in October 2023 and 3 million in August 2025.

Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, documents prepared by doctors to reflect a patient’s wishes regarding medical interventions, had been registered for 185,952 people as of December.

Since the law took effect, life-sustaining treatment has been withdrawn in 478,378 cases with the consent of patients or their families, the agency said.

Debate over the scope of so-called dignified death remains active in South Korea, as in many other countries, particularly over ethical boundaries and eligibility.

The act currently limits such decisions to patients deemed to be in the "end-of-life process," which Article 2 defines as having an incurable condition with imminent death expected within months and no possibility of recovery.

Last year, Rep. Nam In-soon of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea proposed a revision that would broaden eligibility to include patients who, though not yet terminal, are assessed to be approaching a likely death.

If passed, the amendment would allow patients to forgo life-sustaining treatment earlier in the course of irreversible illness, expanding the framework beyond its current end-stage threshold.