[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "Welldying, the movement of 'let's die well'... Being healthy for a peaceful ending"

Won Hyeyoung, Co-Representative of the Well-Dying Culture Movement
"In an Aging Society, Life Must Be Ended with Dignity"
Refusal of Meaningless Life-Sustaining Treatment and Writing Wills
Well-Aging and Well-Dying Are Possible Only with Good Health

"As medical science advances, some people mistakenly believe they can fight death and win. This movement encourages people to accept death as a natural order and take the opportunity to organize their lives."

At the beginning of this month, I met Won Hye-young, co-representative of the Welldying Culture Movement, at an office in Jung-gu, Seoul. When asked what 'Well-Dying' means, she explained it this way. It means accepting death not as an enemy to fight but as a natural conclusion to life and preparing for death in a healthy way.

Won, who serves as co-representative of the Welldying Culture Movement, is a senior political figure who served five terms as a member of the National Assembly. She won the parliamentary seat five times in her constituency, Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province. After retiring from politics following the 20th National Assembly, she has appeared before the public as a 'Well-Dying evangelist.' Currently, she is co-representative of the Welldying Culture Movement corporation, engaging in lectures, forums, and interviews on the topic of well-dying.

Well-Dying, a Movement to 'Die Well'

Well-Dying is literally a movement with the purpose of 'dying well.' In other words, it acknowledges the natural order that every life has an end and encourages people to finish life beautifully. To this end, the campaign promotes avoiding meaningless life-prolonging treatments and encourages writing wills in advance. It also advocates minimizing extravagant rituals during funeral processes.

The reason well-dying is necessary is to conclude life healthily and beautifully. According to Won, about 75% of deaths in Korea occur in hospitals. The proportion of people who die at home or other places is only about 10%. This means that a much larger number of people end their lives in hospitals rather than in comfortable spaces like their homes.

Welfare Culture Movement Co-Representative Won Hye-young. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

Many people also suffer until the very end of life. In the emergency room of a university hospital in Seoul, within 24 hours before a patient's death, treatments include 30% on ventilators, 40% receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and 90% undergoing blood tests. Even until just before death, patients receive life-prolonging treatments and tests. The well-dying culture encourages people to express their wishes about life-sustaining treatment in advance rather than enduring such painful departures. If life-prolonging treatment becomes meaningless, it advocates preparing for a comfortable final stage rather than forcing treatment.

One aspect of the well-dying culture that is not well practiced in Korea is writing a will. In the United States, 56% of adults leave a will in advance, whereas Korea does not even have related statistics. It is only estimated that the proportion of people who write wills is less than 0.5% of the total population. Won said, "A few months ago, a friend who was healthy suddenly collapsed and passed away within two days without proper treatment. When I visited the condolence, his wife tearfully said she couldn't even say a proper word before he left." She added, "I thought if he had written a will expressing gratitude to family and friends, it might have comforted those left behind."

A will can be legally valid if it is handwritten with clear content including the name and date of birth. If you want to guarantee the contents more securely, it is good to have it notarized by a notary public. The Welldying Culture Movement is also focusing on a campaign to encourage writing wills. Won herself has already written a will. The goal is to move away from the culture that finds will-writing difficult and to approach it with ease and comfort.

To Be Healthy for 'Well-Dying'... "I Try to Walk 10,000 Steps a Day"

Welfare Culture Movement Co-Representative Won Hye-young. During the interview, she is showing a watch with a pedometer. Photo by Huh Young-han younghan@

It is also necessary to consider Korea’s reality as it enters a super-aged society. According to Statistics Korea, Korea will enter a super-aged society with more than 20% of the total population aged 65 or older as early as 2025. The pace of aging is more than three times faster than Japan, which entered a super-aged society earlier. As death increases in this 'busy society,' insufficient preparation for death can lead to not only personal and family confusion but also social turmoil. Won emphasized, "Preparing for a dignified and well-organized old age and death in the era of 10 million elderly people is a very important factor for the dignity and vitality of our society."

Won stresses the need for social-level discussions about well-dying. This is because our society is overly reluctant to talk about death. She says that families and close acquaintances should talk about what happens after death and prepare together for the inevitable death. In this process, they should be able to openly discuss life-sustaining treatment decisions, funeral procedures, and inheritance distribution. She explained, "Well-dying is a way to finish the remaining life with dignity," adding, "It is also important in reducing conflicts, confusion, and waste among those left behind."

Maintaining health is also an essential element of well-dying. Good health allows for a comfortable conclusion even in the final stage of life. Health is important not only for well-dying, which prepares for death, but also for 'well-aging,' which means aging well. Without good health, one inevitably suffers in old age and at the end of life. Won maintains her health by walking regularly. She commutes by subway from her home in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, to her office in Jung-gu, Seoul. She also uses public transportation when traveling for lectures and other activities. She uses a wristwatch that counts steps and tries to walk more than 10,000 steps a day.

Above all, Won emphasizes that a social atmosphere where death is accepted naturally and calmly must be created. She pointed out, "Our society has an 'anti-dying' atmosphere that avoids death," and stressed, "Now is the time to face death boldly and directly, which is exactly what the 'Well-Dying' culture is about."