"Thank You So Much"... The Noble Gift of Life 'Organ Donation'

Organ Donor Who Gifted a 'New Life' and Passed Away
"Hope for Social Spread... Wish for a Memorial Park"
Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency "Need to Increase Organ Donation Registrants"
Financial and Psychological Support Available Through Family Support Services

The late Song A-shin during her lifetime. A-shin, who always took the lead in helping others, donated her kidney before passing away. Photo by family.

[Asia Economy Culture Intern Reporter Young In] "I want to donate my organs when I die."

In the spring of 2013, Song Ah-shin, who was declared brain dead, practiced love in this way. Her father, Song Jong-bin, said that since his daughter's noble sacrifice could save other lives, he hoped it would help as many people as possible.

Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Choi Chang-hyuk (29), who worked as an IT education instructor at a local government office in Busan, donated his organs to five people after being declared brain dead and passed away. His family said that although Choi’s death was heartbreaking, they decided on organ donation with the hope that others would gain new life. Choi’s heart, liver, and kidneys were harvested on the 2nd and transplanted to five people in need of organs.

Also, actor Kim Ji-soo encouraged organ donation by sharing the recent status of a patient who received a bone marrow transplant from her 11 years ago on her Instagram on the 30th of last month. Kim said, "I’ve heard that he studied hard, went to college, got a girlfriend, and even heard that he’s getting married. Every time I come across such news by chance, I’ve long thought that the connection between that friend and me is truly no ordinary one," and expressed her feelings, saying, "I wonder how wonderful it would be if I could meet him and give him a hug even once."

◆ Organ Donation Saves Fading Lives... 7 People Die Daily Waiting for Organ Transplants

Hospitals nationwide contact the Korea Organ Donation Agency when a brain-dead potential donor is identified. Coordinators are deployed to evaluate the brain-dead potential donor and persuade for organ donation. This is the first step in organ donation. Coordinators handle the entire process from surgery, harvesting, embalming, to funeral arrangements. After reviewing the brain-dead donor’s personal and medical records, they check the organ transplant waiting list. Once the written consent form is completed, the organ donation process officially begins.

According to the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency, as of 2021, there were a total of 2,103,263 registered organ donation hopefuls, representing about 4% of the entire population. The agency’s annual report states that the average number of organs donated per brain-dead donor is 3.34 (based on recipients who received transplants). This means that one organ donor can save at least three lives.

However, organ donation is far from sufficient compared to the number of patients waiting for organ transplants. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the National Organ, Tissue and Blood Management Service, and the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency, as of the end of 2021, 39,261 people were waiting for organ transplants in South Korea. The number of transplant waitlist patients has steadily increased each year: 32,990 in 2019, 35,852 in 2020.

On the other hand, based on the 2021 estimated population by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the number of brain-dead donors per million population in Korea is 8.53. This figure is significantly lower compared to 38.03 in the United States, 37.97 in Spain, and 18.68 in the United Kingdom, as recorded by the International Registry on Organ Donation and Transplantation.

As a result, the number of patients who die while waiting for organ transplants is also increasing annually. The number of deaths on the transplant waiting list was 2,144 in 2019, 2,194 in 2020, and 2,480 in 2021. Currently, seven people die each day without receiving organ transplants.

Moon In-seong, Director of the Korea Organ Donation Agency. Photo by Munhwa Young, Intern Reporter ud3660@asiae.co.kr

◆ "Family Consent Rate 30-40%"?A Challenge for Organ Donation Culture

Moon In-sung, director of the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency, said, "The ultimate goal is to provide respect for organ donors through campaigns, along with promotion and education." Currently, the agency is conducting the 'Green Light Organ Donation Campaign' to increase the rate of organ donation registrations.

Green symbolizes organ donation. The agency collaborates with local governments to light up bridges such as Seoul’s Yanghwa Bridge and Busan’s Gwangandaegyo Bridge in green. Recently, they have also attempted business agreements with organizations outside hospitals, such as the Professional Football Federation and the National Forest Healing Center.

Director Moon said that for actual donation cases to follow, "It is necessary to share the fact of organ donation registration with family members and respect the donor’s decision." He expressed regret, saying, "The family consent rate is only 30-40%."

The family consent rate for brain-dead organ donation has decreased from 51.7% in 2015 to 36.5% in 2018, and 31.5% as of June 2019. Even if a person registers as an organ donation hopeful, if the family opposes, organ donation cannot proceed.

According to a 2021 survey by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency of 1,000 citizens regarding their intention to donate organs, reasons for refusal included ▲discomfort with bodily mutilation (33%), ▲vague fear (30.4%), and ▲lack of proper posthumous treatment or respect (16.5%).

Regarding this, Director Moon said, "Services for bereaved families are important," and added, "We are always ready to help if assistance is needed." If one decides to donate organs, the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency offers 'family support services' as part of donor respect. Financial support covers costs related to examinations and medical expenses for donation. It also includes support for funeral procedures and partial funeral expenses.

The late Song A-shin's father, Song Jong-bin. He is currently serving as a director at the Korea Organ Donor Families Headquarters and is running programs for families of organ donors. Photo by Moonhwa Young, intern reporter ud3660@asiae.co.kr

◆ "Great Fulfillment in Organ Donation... Hoping for a Memorial Park for Donors"

Song Jong-bin, who donated organs after losing his daughter in her 30s, said he felt a lot of depression living without his daughter. While the reality of not having his daughter was difficult, what troubled him most was the social atmosphere.

Although organ donation is a noble sacrifice and a hopeful gift of new life, at that time, there was almost no culture of discussing organ donation. Song recovered from his depression by creating a memory album of his daughter’s belongings and attending 'Memorial Nights' to build bonds with other bereaved families.

When asked what is needed to change social awareness of organ donation, Song cited a 'memorial park.' Just as soldiers, police officers, and firefighters are buried in national cemeteries, Song’s small dream is to create a 'memorial space' for organ donors. He said, "If we all had a system to remember organ donors at least once, the death of organ donors would be sublimated."

Currently, Song serves as a director of the Korea Donor Bereaved Families Association. The organization gathers people who have practiced organ donation to heal their shared pain and promote donation activation. Through the Bereaved Families Love Sharing Room, they connect organ donor families nationwide and facilitate correspondence between transplant recipients and bereaved families.

Song offered words of encouragement to families considering organ donation. He said, "You can feel great fulfillment from organ donation, and the donor will say it was the right thing to do."

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