Korea University College of Medicine Holds 'Gameunje' Memorial for Donors of Cadavers

"Honoring the Noble Intentions of 47 People Who Donated Organs Over One Year"

On the 21st, students from Korea University College of Medicine are paying tribute with flowers in front of the Gamun Tower.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] Korea University College of Medicine announced that on the 21st, it held the ‘Gamseunje (感恩祭)’ to commemorate the wishes of the deceased who donated their bodies for medical education at Yukwangsa Hall in the main building of the College of Medicine.

The event was held with a minimal number of attendees to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and was broadcast live online. After the ceremony began, the program proceeded in the following order: ▲moment of silence ▲memorial remarks by the Dean of the College of Medicine ▲memorial remarks by the student representative ▲calling the names of the body donors ▲flower offering by representatives and faculty members ▲flower offering by students.

Korea University College of Medicine holds the joint memorial ceremony Gamseunje every year on the third Thursday of April to honor those who donated their bodies for the advancement of medicine. In 1996, the Gamseuntap, a monument engraved with the names of the donors, was erected. Due to the activation of the body donation movement at Korea University College of Medicine, the number of body donations has steadily increased, with a total of 1,423 bodies donated from 1982 to this year, and 7,944 people have pledged to donate their bodies.

Yoon Young-wook, Dean of Korea University College of Medicine, expressed his condolences, saying, “Medicine is constantly evolving, and the greatest foundation of this growth has been the dedication of the donors and their families who allowed students to learn directly from human bodies.”

Seon Je-hyeok, a student representative enrolled in the first year of the Department of Medicine, said, “Thanks to the noble intention of the donors who allowed us to understand the complex and mysterious structure of the human body that cannot be learned from textbooks, 110 first-year medical students like us have been able to devote ourselves to our studies,” adding, “I will study hard to become a true doctor and repay the noble intentions of the donors and their families.”

Afterwards, Dean Yoon, Dean Seo Moon-gyeong of the College of Nursing, and professors from the Department of Anatomy offered flowers at the altar, and the students placed chrysanthemums at the Gamseuntap and observed a moment of silence.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.