Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Cardinal Cheong pledges organ donation, no life support treatment
Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk / Courtesy of Archdiocese of Seoul
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk, former Catholic archbishop of Seoul, was hospitalized on Feb. 21 and opted to not receive life support treatment while signing for organ donation and donating all of his personal savings to charity, the Archdiocese of Seoul said in a statement, amid a rising number of people choosing organ donation and rejecting life support treatment
“He had a slight fever right after he was hospitalized, but he has been able to converse with others. Before hospitalization, the cardinal made it clear that he would not undergo surgery,” the statement wrote.
A document signed by Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk on Sept. 27, 2018, regarding his wishes as an organ donor and to reject life support treatment, says “I am thankful to all of the people around me. Please generously forgive my faults. If possible, I would like to donate my corneas. Praise be to God.” Courtesy of Archdiocese of Seoul
“Cardinal Cheong signed a document on Sept. 27, 2018, which pledges to reject life-sustaining treatment as part of preparing for the end of his life. In 2006, he also asked the medical staff to help him to donate his organs and corneas. If his organs cannot be used due to old age, he pledged to donate his eyes for medical research. On Feb. 25, he donated all of his assets to charity facilities he chose which include Myeongdong Babjib and religious education for children.”
Cheong has undergone multiple surgeries in the past due to his chronic diseases and recovered. The statement added that the cardinal didn't want to be hospitalized this time but he was advised by many to do so because he was experiencing pain.
The statement came after surveys show more Koreans are choosing not to receive life support since the introduction of related laws on Feb. 4, 2018, which gave people the right to choose. According to the latest data by the National Agency for Management of Life-sustaining Treatment, up to 790,193 people signed documents pledging to reject life support between February 2018 and December 2020.
Statistics show fewer people register as organ donors. According to data by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, 77 organ donors died in 2018, but the number almost halved in 2019 to 36 donor deaths. In 2018 the number of registered organ donors declared brain dead was 144. The number fell to 92 in 2019.
Cheong, who became the youngest bishop in Korea at the age of 39 in 1970, served as the archbishop in the Archdiocese of Seoul between 1998 and 2012 following Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan. He became Korea's second cardinal in 2006 after Kim. After stepping down as archbishop in 2012, he focused on writing and translating books at the Catholic University of Korea. He wrote more than 50 books, many of which are on Catholic canon law.