Woman taken off life support, still breathing

SEOUL: Doctors removed a life-supporting respirator from a comatose woman at the center of a landmark right-to-die case yesterday as her family and two judges looked on.

The 76-year-old patient, identified only by her surname, Kim, was still breathing several hours later, hospital officials said. She will continue to be fed fluids and nutritional supplements since a court order only authorized the removal of the respirator, hospital chief Park Chang-il said.

Kim has been in a vegetative state since suffering brain damage in February 2008. Her family sued to force doctors to take her off the respirator, saying she opposed keeping people alive with machines when there was no chance of revival.