Park Myung-hee, nursing team leader at the hospice and palliative care center at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital in Seocho District, Seoul, speaks during an interview, June 22. Korea Times photo by Yun Gi-hun
After a patient dies in the hospice ward, a middle-aged nurse who cared for her removes the hospital gown. Before the patient is prepared for burial, the nurse dresses her in clothes she chose when she was still alive.
A mother of three sons wore a silk hanbok, a traditional Korean dress, that she had worn only once — at her eldest son’s wedding. A 17-year-old boy, who had spent less than a year in school, wore a crisp high school uniform that still looked new.
Families prepared some clothes specifically for that day. A 5-year-old girl who grew up in the ward wore a pink dress, her favorite color. An 11-month-old baby born with childhood cancer wore a jeogori, a traditional Korean jacket, made for a first birthday party that the hospital held early.
For the nurse, the ritual is not about dressing the dead. It is about restoring the person behind the patient.
