Set to Retire Next Year... Professor in Her 60s Collapses Before Teacher's Day, Gives New Life to Three and Passes Away

Colleague Professor: "She Was Like a Mother Who Warmly Embraced Her Students"

Student: "A Final Decision Befitting Our Professor"

A professor in her 60s who had been teaching students for 20 years passed away after giving the gift of new life to three people, just five days before Teacher’s Day.

On May 15, the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency announced that Mihyang Kim (63) donated her liver and both kidneys at Samsung Changwon Hospital on May 10. Kim had recently complained of headaches and dizziness, and was found collapsed at home on April 17. She was taken to the hospital but never regained consciousness and was declared brain dead. Remembering her lifelong commitment to sharing and giving, her family agreed to organ donation in accordance with her wishes.

Her only daughter, Park Dabin, said, “As much as I wanted to save my mother, I also wanted to help other patients, which is why I agreed to the donation. Even though we were not financially well off, my mother always loved to give to others. I believe she would be happy in heaven with this decision.”

Donor the late Mihyang Kim. Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency

Born in Gyeongnam, Kim was passionate about her studies to the point that learning was her hobby, and she loved teaching. Until she collapsed, she worked as a professor at Masan University and received a 20-year service award, demonstrating her dedication to education.

Even with her retirement scheduled for August of next year, she was known for her unwavering devotion to her students, actively counseling them about their careers and working to provide scholarship opportunities. A fellow professor remembered her, saying, “She was like a mother, always embracing her students with warmth.”

It is reported that even former students who had already graduated and entered society came to pay their respects at her memorial. One student said, “When I heard that she left after donating her organs, I thought it was a decision that truly reflected who she was. She taught us not only specialized knowledge, but also how to approach work, responsibility, and perseverance. I will never forget her lessons and will live my life to the fullest.”

Her daughter, Park Dabin, shared her final farewell: “I respect you deeply, love you endlessly, and you are so precious to me, Mom. You were my whole world, and I don’t know how to go on, but I will try to stand on my own so that you may rest peacefully in heaven.”

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