Dying With Dignity: Around 4,000 sign up to forgo 'meaningless extension of life'

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A new law in South Korea allows patients suffering from terminal ailments to reject medical treatment. It's called the 'dying with dignity' law and it reflects changing social attitudes toward death in the country. Shane Hahm reports.

Hong Yang-hee is working to break the taboo surrounding death. She counsels people on what they would do if they became terminally ill. Her clients fill out a form that allows them to legally reject treatment if ever in a medically irrecoverable state.

HONG YANG-HEE, CO-DIRECTOR KOREAN INITIATIVE FOR ADVANCE DIRECTIVE "Filling out this form doesn't mean you're going to die early. It helps you think about a dignified and beautiful completion to your life. It also gives you a chance to thoroughly communicate with your family."

SHANE HAHM SEOUL "In a landmark decision in 2009, South Korea's Supreme Court ordered a local hospital to pull a comatose patient off a respirator. The court ruled that administering medical treatment to a patient with no hope for recovery violates that individual's basic dignity."

In 2016, lawmakers drew up a new bill that would allow the terminally ill to reject four types of medical treatments; CPR, dialysis, artificial respiration, and anti-cancer drugs. Patients must be diagnosed by a medical professional and conscious when making the decision.

LEE YOON-SEONG, DIRECTOR KOREA NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR BIOETHICS POLICY "First there needs to be medical decision that a patient has no chance for recovery. Then you must confirm the patient's desires. But the majority of patients needing life-sustaining treatment can't fully convey their intents. So the aim of this law is to allow patients to express their intent in advance."

Opinion polls show more than 90% of the public against meaningless life-extending treatment. Professor Heo Dae-seog specializes in patients battling brain tumors. More than half of his patients succumb to their ailments. And many don't meet the requirements under the new law to reject medical treatment.

DR. HEO DAE-SEOG, PROFESSOR SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL "The law was made to reflect a patient's right to decide. But we've seen less than 10% of people pass away by invoking this right. That means about 80% of patients fall outside the intent of the law, so there's a procedural issue that must be addressed."

Embracing death is seen as disrespectful to life and non-conforming to Confucian values in South Korea. But as times change, the right to die well is becoming just as important as the right to live well. Shane Hahm, CGTN, Seoul.