Honoring Two Children Sent Earlier... An Octogenarian Alumnus Donates 500 Million Won to Catholic Medical Center

Sending Off Two Siblings First and Deciding to Donate
"Giving Hope Is a Senior's True Role"

An 80-year-old Korean American donated 500 million won to the Catholic Medical Center to honor her two children who passed away and to give hope to future generations.

Catholic Central Medical Center held a plaque of appreciation ceremony on the 20th to express gratitude to alumna Kim Miji and her spouse Lee Seonggeol for their donation. (From left: Father Lee Jaeyeol, Director of Hospital Management, Lee Hwasung, Director of Catholic Central Medical Center, Lee Seonggeol, Kim Miji, alumna, Yoo Yangsuk, Dean of the College of Nursing).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 30th, the Catholic Medical Center announced that Ms. Kim Miji (82), residing in New York, USA, donated $360,000 (approximately 496 million won) last year to be used for the juniors of the Catholic University School of Nursing. Ms. Kim had previously donated $10,000 during the completion of the Medical Convergence Hub Omnibus Park at the university in 2018, bringing her total donations to $370,000 (approximately 510 million won).

Ms. Kim decided to donate hoping that her two children who passed away would be remembered fondly. She said, "I hope the nursing school juniors receive education in an excellent environment and that my two siblings who departed to be with the Lord first will be remembered. Giving hope is the true role of a senior, and I want to be remembered as a senior who gives hope through sharing."

Graduating from the Catholic University School of Nursing in 1966, Ms. Kim moved to the United States and lived as an immigrant with her husband, Mr. Lee Seonggeol, for over 50 years. Although she lived a life of benevolence, a sudden hardship struck in 2021. Her youngest daughter, Lee Eun-sook, who graduated from New York University Law School and worked as a medical malpractice attorney, suddenly passed away due to Moyamoya disease, a rare heart condition.

Just about a month later, without time to recover from her grief, her son Youngju also tragically passed away from complications related to COVID-19. About 30 years ago, Youngju came to Seoul to study Korean but suffered an accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down due to a spinal injury. Despite these difficulties, he graduated from Buffalo University Law School and worked as a lawyer, but he could not escape the global wave of COVID-19. Enduring the painful time caused by the misfortunes of her children, Ms. Kim donated $1 million (approximately 1.4 billion won) to St. Paul Chong Hasang Korean Catholic Church in Queens, New York, and additionally donated to the Catholic University School of Nursing juniors to honor her children and spread hope through sharing.

The Catholic Central Medical Center presented Ms. Kim with a plaque of appreciation and inscribed her name in the Honours Gallery within the Catholic University Omnibus Park. They also named Room 3301 on the third floor of the Omnibus Park Nursing College as the "Kim Miji Grand Lecture Hall." Lee Hwasung, Vice President for Medical Affairs and Director of the Catholic Medical Center, said, "We express our respect and gratitude for alumna Kim Miji’s decision to generously donate her lifelong savings. We will use this as a driving force to develop nursing students’ education and strive to nurture the best talents."

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