Samsung Medical Center held a ceremony on the 5th to open "Byeolha-jae," a memorial hall for brain-dead organ donors, located next to the Organ Transplant Center outpatient clinic on the first floor of its main building, the hospital said Thursday.
In 2013, Samsung Medical Center became the first medical institution in Korea to create a memorial plaque on the wall of the Organ Transplant Center outpatient clinic to honor donors. The new memorial space was created by expanding the scale and accessibility of the existing plaque, so that any hospital visitor can honor the noble intentions of donors who saved the lives of others.
The memorial hall features a "Life-Sharing Mailbox" where donors' bereaved families and transplant recipients can convey their feelings to each other. The aim is to serve as a medium through which the two parties, who have not met in person, can share their emotions.
The ceremony was attended by Samsung Medical Center President Park Seung-woo (professor of cardiology), Samsung Medical Center Organ Transplant Center Director Park Jae-beom (professor of transplant surgery), Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Lee Hyung-hoon, Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA) President Lee Sang-yeol, as well as 34 bereaved family members of donors. In keeping with the theme of "a memorial wall completed by the hands of bereaved families," the attending families personally placed nameplates engraved with the names of their beloved family members on the memorial wall. The ceremony was hosted by Oh Su-jin, a former announcer who is a heart transplant recipient and a publicity ambassador for the Korea Organ Donation Agency.
The hospital expects the opening to serve as an opportunity to foster a new culture of organ donation in line with the government's policy direction. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has established the "First Comprehensive Plan on Organ Donation and Transplantation" and is pursuing measures to foster a culture honoring life-sharing. To enhance the social recognition of donors and their bereaved families, the ministry plans to support the installation of memorial spaces or donor plaques (tentatively named "Wall of Memory") at local government buildings, museums, and hospitals.
"Behind the development of organ transplantation, which has advanced by overcoming numerous limitations, lies the dedication of donors who shared their lives," Director Park Jae-beom said. "I hope the memorial hall will not only remember them and comfort their families, but also become a link that saves more lives."
