Seoul  - A South Korean appeals court on Tuesday confirmed a lower court verdict allowing ending life-prolonging measures for a 76-year-old coma patient, making it the first time mercy killing has been formally permitted in the Asian nation.

In November, a court ruled in favour of ending life-prolonging measures for the woman at the request of her family but without the patient's consent.

"When a patient suffers from terminal illness and has no hope of recovery and hospital treatment is no longer effective in improving the patient's state, euthanasia is permissible," the Seoul High Court said.

The woman, identified only by her family name Kim, fell into a coma last year following cerebral damage, the national Yonhap news agency reported.

Taking into account the patient's rights, the court decided to stop treatment for the woman, the chief judge said. "It is not impossible to assume the patient's will even though she did not express it in written form."

However, the court warned against possible abuse of this decision in other cases, as active euthanasia is banned in South Korea.

The woman's family filed a suit to allow euthanasia after her doctors refused to let her die. Her children argued that their mother had always been opposed to prolonging the suffering of severely ill people who have no chance of survival.

It remains unknown whether the hospital plans to appeal the decision. (dpa)