Home / Crime and Justice / South Korean man's assisted death plea reaches court
South Korean man's assisted death plea reaches court
18 Jun
Summary
- A terminally ill man is challenging South Korea's ban on assisted dying.
- He abandoned plans to die in Switzerland due to his daughter's legal risk.
- The court case is the first of its kind in the country.
Lee Myung-shik, a 65-year-old South Korean man enduring excruciating pain from acute myelitis, has filed a landmark petition with the Constitutional Court. This marks the first known legal challenge to South Korea's strict ban on assisted dying.
Lee had planned to travel to Switzerland for assisted death but abandoned the plan when he realized his daughter could face up to 10 years in prison under South Korean law. The debilitating condition, diagnosed in 2020, offers no known cure and causes constant suffering.
His legal petition argues that when medicine offers no relief and life is filled only with physical and mental suffering, individuals should have a protected right to end their lives. This legal challenge comes as a Swiss non-profit has assisted 144 South Koreans by the end of last year, with no accompanying individuals prosecuted to date.
A public hearing is anticipated later in 2026. While a bill to legalize assisted dying stalled in 2024 due to resistance, a recent survey indicated that 82 percent of South Koreans support assisted dying. The outcome of Lee's case could significantly shift the legal interpretation of aiding suicide in South Korea.
