In Korean society, euthanasia remains a weighty and difficult topic that lies beneath the surface. While social discourse has made some progress regarding passive euthanasia, such as the cessation of life-sustaining treatment for patients in a vegetative state, active euthanasia or physician-assisted suicide aimed at alleviating a patient's suffering is still considered taboo and is not properly addressed in the public sphere. Such discussions only occur sporadically in the shadows and fail to evolve into a serious consideration for society as a whole.
In this context, the emergence of the drama "Mary Kills People" is both timely and significant. The series, which aired in Canada for three seasons from 2017 to 2019, directly confronts the sensitive subject of euthanasia. Through the lens of North America, where such discussions are more active than in Korea, it poses questions about the dignity of life's final chapter that we have long ignored. As some countries like Switzerland, Canada, and the Netherlands have already legalized assisted suicide under specific conditions, this is no longer an issue to be unconditionally overlooked but a global agenda.
In fact, stories about choosing death are not unfamiliar in popular culture. In Korea, the film "The Bacchus Lady," starring actress Youn Yuh-jung, created a significant impact by calmly depicting the loneliness, poverty, and final choices of the elderly. Internationally, numerous works like "Me Before You" and "The Sea Inside" have dealt with characters who wish to choose their own death amidst unbearable suffering, and the conflicts surrounding them. A common thread in these works is that the central theme and point of debate is often physician-assisted suicide, based on an individual's choice, rather than euthanasia itself.
What all these works convey is the "unbearable suffering" experienced by their protagonists. To legally opt for assisted suicide in Switzerland, one must meet extremely strict criteria, such as suffering from an incurable disease and having clear decision-making capacity. What is crucial is that the entire process is conducted based on the individual's will. While assistance from others is possible, the final act, such as pressing the button to administer the medication, must be performed by the person themselves. This is based on the principle of respecting "the right to self-determination" above all else.
The drama "Mary Kills People" takes this a step further. It tells the story of doctors who actively help those who cannot perform the final act themselves. All humans are destined to live a life, regardless of their will to be born. However, the desire to decide the manner and timing of one's end—death—can be a deeply human one. Yet, this choice is not merely a personal matter; it collides with a formidable wall of complex social, legal, and ethical issues.
Religious beliefs, in particular, complicate this issue further. The act of a human ending their own life is not easily condoned in the face of religious teachings that consider life to be the domain of a higher power. As such, the issue of euthanasia is intricately woven with individual dignity, social safety nets, religious beliefs, and medical ethics, making it impossible to resolve with the logic of any single perspective. Therefore, a process of "social consensus" involving all members of society over a sufficient period is essential. It is precisely here that the role of popular culture content like "Mary Kills People" becomes important, as it at least provides an opportunity to think and opens a forum for public discourse.
The drama unfolds around Woo So-jeong (played by Lee Bo-young), an emergency room physician. Witnessing patients on the brink of death daily, she deeply contemplates the dignity of life. Her fundamental motivation for embarking on this dangerous path stems from a deep-seated trauma: as a child, she helped her mother, who was suffering from a rare disease, end her own life at her mother's request. Seeking her help is Jo Hyun-woo (played by Lee Min-ki), a terminal cancer patient for whom each day is an agony akin to hell.
Choi Dae-hyun (played by Kang Ki-young), So-jeong's former colleague who is no longer a doctor, acts as her partner in her clandestine activities. The two form a team to secretly help people who have chosen a dignified death amidst suffering. Naturally, their actions are blatantly illegal and must remain unknown to anyone. However, repeated acts, not just a one-time event, inevitably arouse suspicion, and their secret is increasingly at risk of being exposed.
To make matters worse, a dark organization approaches them, seeking to turn their secret activities into a money-making scheme, and a sharp detective begins to trail them, investigating a series of mysterious deaths, pushing the drama's tension to its peak. As the drama deals with the heavy subject of euthanasia, it portrays the process and the characters' psychology with gravity, earning it a 19+ rating. Due to the weight of its subject matter, it may be difficult to expect explosive viewership ratings.
However, regardless of the commercial metric of viewership ratings, it is time for our society to respond to the profound questions this drama poses. We must no longer ignore the voices of those in pain and must begin a serious discussion on the right to end one's life with dignity. It is hoped that "Mary Kills People" can be the first hammer blow that shatters the frozen silence on this debate and serves as a meaningful starting point for a vital conversation in our society. The cast and crew who participated in this work must have also joined this weighty story with a special sense of mission.
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