Seoul, South Korea, Feb 17, 2011 / 00:42 am
The second anniversary of the death of Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-Hwan of Seoul comes at a time of increased organ donations attributed to his advocacy.
Organ donation pledges in Korea have exceeded 100,000 for the second straight year. The Korean Network for Organ Sharing said that 124,300 Koreans pledged to donate their organs, down from about 185,000 in 2009 but still ahead of previous years.
“Cardinal Kim’s donation greatly changed the social atmosphere,” an official from the organ network told Yonhap News Agency. “We expect that the number of donation pledges will be on a steady rise in the long term.”
The cardinal, who died at the age of 86, was respected by Catholics and non-Catholics alike. He had inspired the public by donating his eyes to two patients. He became a pledged organ donor as early as 1990, saying he wanted to “give everything and leave with nothing.”