Calls are growing to elevate the treatment of organ donors and their families from simple support to a "national duty." With Korea's organ donation rate stagnating at 7.7 donors per million population, expanding donations depends not only on institutional improvements but also on shifting social perceptions. Advocates argue that beyond financial compensation, an environment must be created where donors and bereaved families can feel genuine pride in their life-saving decisions.
Korea currently has an established economic support system for organ and human tissue donors. Bereaved families of organ donors receive 5.4 million won in funeral expenses, with an additional 1.8 million won for tissue donation. Families registered as organ transplant recipients can receive up to four priority points. Son Sun-young, president of the Korean Association of Organ Transplant Coordinators, said, "Four points is a significant score that can change one's position on the transplant waiting list. It functions as practical consideration."
However, countries with active organ donation programs take a different approach to honoring donors. The United States, with 49.7 donors per million population—seven times Korea's rate—strictly applies the principle of "altruistic, uncompensated" donation and does not permit direct financial rewards.
Instead, organ procurement organizations across the US create physical memorial spaces through the national organ donation network. A prime example is the "Healing Garden" operated by LifeSource, a Midwest procurement organization. Memorial walls and benches in the garden are inscribed with newly added donor names and dedication messages each year. The space allows bereaved families to visit and pay respects while enabling local residents to naturally encounter the meaning of organ donation and feel that society honors their choices.
Korea provides a certain level of economic support, but the question is what comes next—whether donors and their families feel socially respected through adequate social recognition and symbolic honor. Advocates argue that donation should not be consumed merely as individual goodwill but established as a public act that society remembers and commemorates.
Related programs do exist. Since 2022, the Korea Organ Donation Agency has operated the "Life-Sharing Hope Mailbox," allowing bereaved families and transplant recipients to exchange letters online. Previously prohibited, limited correspondence became possible after legal amendments. The experience of families receiving direct gratitude from recipients provides respect for their donation decision and emotional comfort.
The "Brain-Death Organ Donor Memorial Wall" on the first floor of Seoul National University Hospital's main building serves a similar purpose. The space bears the names of 273 donors who donated organs between 2003 and 2025. Despite facing cancellation multiple times due to budget shortages, it was completed through voluntary donations from transplant recipients. Jeong Hae-mi, head nurse at Seoul National University Hospital's Organ Transplant Center, said, "Initially, the budget was severely insufficient, and we nearly gave up on the project several times. But recipients of lung, liver, and kidney transplants contributed voluntarily, and combined with internal efforts to save center operating costs, we were finally able to build the memorial wall."
Local governments also support donor families, but disparities in treatment levels exist. Busan is cited as a best-practice example, operating systematic honor policies including reduced funeral facility fees, family support groups, and psychological treatment subsidies. Critics point out that most other local governments offer only nominal honors such as reduced public facility fees.
The Korea Organ Donation Agency and the Korea National Institute of Organ, Tissue and Blood Management have been holding meetings since last year to reduce such imbalances and strengthen cooperation among local governments. A Korea Organ Donation Agency official said, "We introduce best practices through local government meetings," but added, "Since this involves ordinance revisions and budget allocation, improvements cannot be made quickly."
Nevertheless, bereaved families consistently demand a national memorial park—a space where society officially remembers life-sharing decisions and citizens can naturally encounter the value of organ donation.
Song Jong-bin, a bereaved family member of a brain-death donor, said, "What bereaved families need is not compensation but a record." He added, "We need a memorial park to remember organ donors like in foreign countries. Simply leaving names and sending a message that society respects their choice has a significant impact." He argued that "memory and respect" rather than financial rewards are the most powerful tools for changing perceptions about organ donation.
However, memorial park construction has stalled due to NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) phenomena, budget issues, and insufficient social consensus. In some areas, residents oppose such parks, perceiving them as equivalent to funeral facilities. Fiscal burden-sharing between central and local governments also presents obstacles. If pursued as a national project, securing budget is difficult as it falls low on priority lists; as a local government project alone, the fiscal burden is too heavy. Most fundamentally, critics point out that a culture recognizing and respecting donation as a noble choice for society has not yet been sufficiently established.
Lee Jae-myung, a professor of critical care and trauma surgery at Korea University Anam Hospital, proposed introducing a "disease credit" system to help donor families feel pride. This would provide voucher-style support that could be used for health checkups or medical treatment at the hospital where the donation occurred. Professor Lee said, "Beyond cash support, it is important to create an atmosphere that respects families who saved others' lives, similar to how we honor those who served the nation."
