Is euthanasia legal in South Korea?
Passive only
South Korea legalized passive euthanasia in February 2018, but active euthanasia remains illegal.
South Korea is one of 8 countries classified “Passive only” for euthanasia — 20% of the 40 with data. (Also searched as assisted dying.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Legality of euthanasia
- Last checked
- 15 September 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Japan
- Varies by region Japan has no official euthanasia laws, but local court cases have created a tentative legal framework for both passive and active euthanasia.
- Philippines
- Illegal Active euthanasia is illegal in the Philippines, and doctors face imprisonment for assisting suicide.
- Russia
- Illegal Euthanasia is illegal under Federal Law No.323, though no specific punishment exists.
- India
- Passive only Passive euthanasia is legal in India, but active euthanasia remains illegal.
- Australia
- Assisted dying only Physician-assisted suicide is legal in Australia under voluntary assisted dying laws, but active euthanasia is not legal.
- Finland
- Passive only Passive euthanasia is legal in Finland, but active euthanasia is not.
Other laws in South Korea
- Abortion
- Legal on request
- Suicide Laws
- Not a crime
- Surrogacy
- Unregulated
- Organ Donor Consent
- Opt-in (explicit consent)
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.