Traveling to Die... The 'Joryeoksa' Controversy Sparked by a Young YouTuber

French YouTuber with Mental Illness Announces
Leaves Homeland to Travel Abroad to Avoid Euthanasia
'Assisted Death Debate' Nears Reality in Korea Too

Can active death also be a human right? A young French man suffering from severe mental illness chose 'assisted death.' The young man said it was a "decision made after long contemplation," but from major local media to netizens, opinions are divided, sparking intense debate.

"I am the limit" - Young YouTuber determined to die

Dignified death

On the 19th (local time), French media such as Le Soir reported on the YouTuber 'Olympe,' who recently announced his decision for assisted death on YouTube. Olympe, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is a YouTuber with 250,000 subscribers, known for sharing his daily life and battle with illness.

However, Olympe decided to 'end' his life. He said, "My life is very tiring. This decision for assisted death is not impulsive but a 'clear decision made with my head,'" adding, "For years, I have only stayed alive for others."

Olympe endured difficult times, including past sexual assault and group bullying, and currently copes with four multiple personalities. He said, "Like others, I have limits," and "I have been pushed to the extreme for years and can no longer endure hardships."

Applicants for assisted death embarking on a 'death journey'

Status of Countries Allowing Assisted Reproduction

Olympe's story was also featured in major French media such as Le Figaro. French society, upon hearing his story, split into pro and con camps, engaging in fierce debate.

There were supportive opinions such as, "Sometimes extreme choices must be made to be freed from pain," and "Regardless, it is Olympe's life, so the choice belongs to him," but skepticism also arose with comments like, "Ending life should not be decided lightly," and "Could it be a decision made in anger?"

Assisted death is illegal in France, where Olympe lives. Only 'treatment' that administers sedatives to terminally ill patients diagnosed with less than two months to live is permitted to alleviate the pain of dying. Accordingly, Olympe is expected to embark on a 'death journey' to other European countries such as Switzerland, where assisted death with a physician's accompaniment is allowed.

Olympe is not the only one traveling abroad to die. In September last year, French film master Jean-Luc Godard passed away by assisted death at his home in Switzerland, sparking heated controversy. At that time, French President Emmanuel Macron promised to hold a 'public debate' on assisted death.

Discussions on assisted death also beginning domestically

There are also applicants for assisted death in Korea. According to multiple media reports, about 30 Koreans are members of Swiss assisted death organizations, and one person each in 2016 and 2018 ended their lives through assisted death. Last year, a Korean's memoir about accompanying a friend's death and returning home was published, drawing public attention.

In June last year, Ahn Gyu-baek, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, introduced a bill to amend the 'Hospice, Palliative Care, and Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision Act for Patients in the Dying Process,' which includes provisions on physician-assisted dignified death.

▲ The bill specifies detailed procedures for implementing assisted dignified death only if one month has passed since the decision date and the subject personally expresses the wish for assisted dignified death to the attending physician and two specialists. It also includes protective provisions excluding the application of the crime of assisting suicide to the attending physician who assisted the assisted dignified death.