The government announced a plan to revise a law to allow people to donate organs without consent from their families if they express such an intention while still living, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said, Wednesday.
Under current law, doctors are banned from taking organs from the bodies of those who agreed to donate their organs before death if bereaved family members object.
The amendment is expected to help address a severe shortage of donated organs, it said.
The revised law will allow surgeons to remove organs from brain-dead patients if only one family member agrees, instead of the current requirement that a minimum of two family members agree.
After public hearings until early July, the government will present the bill to the National Assembly in September for approval. Most South Koreans, influenced by Confucian values, remain reluctant to donate organs after death, as they believe that damaging body parts runs counter to such values as filial duty.