Organ Donation Day honors miracle of sharing life

The Korea Organ Donation Association hosted the "2026 Organ Donation Day" ceremony at Busan City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, promoting life-sharing and expanding the culture of organ donation in the local community.

About 100 people attended, including Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, Busan Metropolitan Council Speaker Kang Mu-gil, Busan Superintendent of Education Kim Seok-jun, Korea Organ Donation Association Chairman Kang Chi-young, and organ donors and honorees.

Organ Donation Day, marked on Sept. 9, was designated to honor the noble intentions of donors who practiced life-sharing and to pay tribute to their bereaved families. The date reflects the fact that organs from a single brain-dead donor can save up to nine lives.

The city is pursuing a range of projects to expand organ donation as part of its goal of becoming a "city that practices life-sharing." These include honoring donors, utilizing public-private networks, and running closely tailored public awareness campaigns through public health centers across its 16 districts and counties.

In particular, the city observes "Life-Sharing Week" during the second week of September to honor the noble intentions of organ donors. It is working with private specialized organizations on programs to comfort bereaved families and raise public awareness, including support items for bereaved families, healing camps and an organ donation symposium. In November, the city will hold a Korea-US-Japan international symposium to strengthen solidarity around universal human values that transcend national borders.

"I pay my deepest respects to the donors who gave a part of themselves to neighbors standing at the edge of despair, offering them the gift of a miracle," Mayor Jeon Jae-soo said. "We will do our utmost to ensure that a culture of life-sharing takes root in everyday life, so that donors and their bereaved families can be respected and honored by society."