Rhee Kun-hoo, a psychiatrist who became a best-selling essayist later in life, died Sept. 21. He was 91.
Rhee spent more than three decades as a psychiatrist and professor, but it was after his retirement that he found another calling: writing about how to live.
He published more than 30 books, many of them reflecting on aging, happiness, relationships and the small pleasures of everyday life.
His 2018 bestseller, “If You Live to 100, You Might as Well Be Happy,” was translated into 16 languages and published in 16 countries, bringing his reflections on aging and happiness to readers around the world.
Born in Daegu in 1935, Rhee lived through the Korean War (1950-1953), was imprisoned for opposing the country’s authoritarian government and later devoted his career to reforming Korea’s fledgling mental health system. He was the first in Korea to introduce an open-ward system in psychiatric facilities and served as a professor of neuropsychiatry at Ewha Womans University from 1973 to 2001.
He also spent more than three decades providing medical care in Nepal. Beginning in 1989, he organized the Ewha Medical Service Team in Nepal and traveled each year to remote areas to treat patients, continuing his volunteer work even after retirement.
At 76, Rhee became the oldest valedictorian in the history of Korea Cyber University’s Department of Cultural Studies, another example of his lifelong pursuit of learning.
In 2024, Rhee told The Korea Herald that happiness was not something grand or permanent.
“Happiness is not something grand. Aren’t you happy when you do what you want to do? But people are creating this mirage by making happiness too grandiose. Happiness is when something small that you want comes true,” he said.
By then, he was battling eight ailments, including chronic illnesses and visual impairment.
Still, Rhee said he did not want to think about death. He kept himself busy, going to his office every day and continuing to write, lecture and give talks.
He remained prolific until near the end of his life, publishing a new book, “After 50, It’s Better to Live Simply,” in January.
Rhee is survived by his wife and four children.
hwangdh@heraldcorp.com
