"People said I was profiting from my dead child. They asked if I sold her organs for money."
Song Jong-bin, who decided to donate her brain-dead daughter's organs after a 2013 traffic accident that claimed the 35-year-old's life, shared these painful experiences in an interview with Seoul Economic Daily on May 13.
Her decision to speak publicly about organ donation—believing that bereaved families coming forward would help raise awareness—backfired. Instead of empathy for her noble choice, she received only suspicion, leaving fresh wounds.
"Still, I had no choice but to step forward," Song said calmly. She recognized that stagnant organ donation rates stem not only from institutional limitations but also from distorted perceptions and fears surrounding brain death and donation.
Song pointed to vague fears about bodily disfigurement, distrust of medical staff, and lingering hopes for miracles as factors that delay decisions—causing organs to miss their critical window for transplantation. She admitted that even she "repeatedly wished the doctors had made a wrong diagnosis" when facing the decision.
What ultimately drove her choice was her daughter's wishes. Song recalled her daughter once saying, "When I die, I want to donate my organs." She felt it was the family's responsibility to honor the deceased's intentions. Learning that transplant patients and their families endure each day clinging to hope also compelled her to act.
Song went further. Believing bereaved families must lead the effort to change perceptions, she donated approximately 20 million won ($14,500) to establish a choir of donor families. She continues to perform and lecture at hospitals and schools, refusing to let the cause end as a one-time event.
"Bereaved families speaking out is itself part of the process of correcting social misunderstandings," she said.
She also criticized misinformation circulating on YouTube and social media. "Sensational content and false information make things harder for bereaved families and discourage organ donation," Song said. "When distorted information spreads, donation rates plummet. We must filter out the falsehoods."
"Donation isn't something only special people do, but someone has to do it," Song emphasized. "Only when society views donors as people to remember rather than suspect—when bereaved families can feel pride—will the culture of sharing life truly spread."
