S. Korean man seeks dignified exit from pain, challenges local laws criminalising assisted death

Lee Myung-shik, who suffers from acute myelitis, has filed a petition to the Constitutional Court in South Korea to review the constitutionality of laws that limit one’s right to die with dignity. - The Korea Herald/ANN

SEOUL: Lee Myung-shik, 63, is paralysed from the waist down as a result of acute myelitis, a condition he developed after retiring from his public service job in 2019.

Unable to perform basic bodily functions independently, he requires the constant use of a urinary catheter and the assistance of his daughter to manually remove stool from his rectum.