More Koreans opt out of life-sustaining treatment

The number of people in South Korea who have chosen to forgo or withdraw life-sustaining treatment has reached 500,000, eight years after the system was introduced, reflecting growing public acceptance of end-of-life self-determination.

According to data from the National Agency for Management of Life-Sustaining Treatment released Sunday, the cumulative figure reached the milestone as of the end of March. It includes 7,882 patients who are currently in the end-of-life process.

In Korea, life-sustaining treatment refers to medical interventions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, hemodialysis, cancer chemotherapy and ventilator use for patients in the final stage of life, when treatment no longer offers a cure and only prolongs the dying process.

The system was institutionalized in 2018 after a landmark 2009 ruling by the Supreme Court that recognized a patient’s right to die with dignity. Before the ruling, hospitals often refused requests to withdraw such treatment, as doctors could face charges of aiding homicide.

Public awareness has grown since the system took effect. A 2025 survey by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs found that 91.9 percent of 1,021 adults said they would choose to stop life-sustaining treatment before death. Among those aged 65 and older, the figure rose to 94.7 percent.

The trend is also reflected in who makes the decision. The share of decisions made by patients themselves, rather than based on family testimony, reached 52.2 percent in 2025. The cumulative number of registered advance directives also neared 3.3 million as of the end of March.

The government aims to raise the share of self-determined decisions on life-sustaining treatment among terminal patients to 56.2 percent by 2028.

“As self-determination is key in decisions to withdraw life-sustaining treatment, we are working to raise its share,” a Ministry of Health and Welfare official said.