The "dead-end" service was held at the Hyowon Therapy Center (Seoul capital) in collaboration with financial support from a funeral service company. This service will be guided and watched a video before being led into a dark room, sitting next to the coffin and starting to write their will. After that, they wore evening gowns and were placed in the coffin.
They will sleep in a black coffin for about 10 minutes, which may seem short to those who experience this service, and that time will be endless to them.
This service will help attendees feel the moment before they die, sit down and write wishes and recall events in their lives.
According to project director Jeong Yong-mun, since its launch in 2012, all 15,000 people have come to experience the "dead-end" service. Among those customers, there are many people with anorexia who want to prepare mentally before leaving, and there are also those who want to end their lives. Many businesses also send their employees here as a way to help them find motivation to work and the meaning of life.
This service lasts about 2 hours and 30 minutes. At the end of each "death anniversary", Mr. Jeong would say to the attendees: "Your old self is no longer there, now you have been born again and have a new beginning". It will take the guests a few minutes to adapt, and then they start laughing happily, even taking photos with their coffin.
Mr. Jeong shared that there are also some people who feel relatively comfortable in the coffin, however, most of the guests participating in this experience feel refreshed after 10 minutes in the coffin and have new experiences and appreciate their lives more.
According to the New York Times, a guest once shared that she was very happy to experience this service. Before that, she had thought about committing suicide due to many pressures in life, but after "throwing it out", she felt happy that she was still alive.
