Lee Bo-young Explores Assisted Dying in New Drama 'Mary Kills People'

Lee Bo-young shares insights on her role in a drama tackling the sensitive topic of assisted dying.

On the 31st, a press conference for 'Mary Kills People' was held at the MBC headquarters in Sangam, Seoul. Attendees included actors Lee Bo-young, Lee Min-ki, Kang Ki-young, Kwon Hae-hyo, Yoon Ga-i, and director Park Joon-woo. 'Mary Kills People' is a suspense drama about a doctor who assists terminally ill patients with dying and a detective who pursues them.

Lee Bo-young plays Woo So-jung, an emergency medicine doctor who aids in assisted dying at the boundary between life and death. Explaining her choice of the role, she said, "I often choose roles based on interesting characters or scenes I want to act in, but sometimes a project resonates with my current thoughts or emotions. This script came to me when I was contemplating aging and the future, as my parents are getting older and so are we. I thought it would be good to bring up such a topic. It's not about fun or interest, but rather a desire to discuss it."

When asked about the burden of dealing with the topic of assisted dying, Lee Bo-young, who is married to Ji Sung, shared, "I received the script around July last year, and around that time, I read a news story about an elderly couple overseas who chose assisted dying together. I discussed it a lot with Ji Sung. We thought it wasn't a bad idea. When we grow old and don't want to be a burden to our children, being able to make such a choice while mentally sound might mean living a happy life."

She continued, "I still don't know. I can't definitively say it's right or wrong. It seems like a happy way of life to me, but due to the perspectives of those left behind and societal views, it's hard to say it's right. Still, I hope this topic can spark conversations among people."

'Mary Kills People' premieres on August 1st at 10 PM on MBC.