Almost eight out of 10 Koreans support the legalization of euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide, a survey showed on Tuesday.

A survey conducted by Professor Yoon Young-ho at Seoul National University Hospital showed that almost 80 percent of Koreans favored euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide.
A survey conducted by Professor Yoon Young-ho at Seoul National University Hospital showed that almost 80 percent of Koreans favored euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide.

The survey, conducted by Professor Yoon Young-ho of the Department of Family Medicine at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), asked the opinions of 1,000 Koreans 19 and older on euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide last year.

It found that 76.3 percent approved legalizing euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide.

Reasons for approval included meaninglessness of life extension (30.8 percent), patient’s right to have a death with dignity (26 percent), alleviation of pain (20.6 percent), family suffering (14.8 percent), alleviating social burdens, such as medical expenses and care (4.6 percent), and that euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide does not violate any human rights (3.1 percent).

In contrast, 23.7 percent opposed their legalization. The opponents cited respect for life (44.3 percent), infringement on the right to self-determination (15.6 percent), the risk of abusing the system (13.1 percent), violating human rights (12.2 percent), the possibility of doctors’ misdiagnosis (9.7 percent), and recoverability (5.1 percent).

Professor Yoon’s team said the result showed a 1.5 times higher approval rate than similar surveys in 2008 and 2016, when only 50 percent of respondents favored euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide.

Yoon stressed the need to look at the situation first in which patients want euthanasia before discussing its legalization.

According to the SNUH professor, there are four major reasons for desiring euthanasia --physical pain, psychic depression, social and economic burden, and meaninglessness of life extension.

“The discussion of euthanasia in the sense of true respect for life requires the prerequisite of ‘resolving patients’ physical, mental, social, economic, and existential pain,” Professor Yoon said. “To this end, Korea needs to establish the fund and foundation for creating and institutionalizing a well-dying culture.”

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health published the result of the study in its latest edition.

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