South Korea tissue donations rise 80.6% through August, public bank says
In short
Human tissue donations in South Korea reached 251 cases by the end of August, up 80.6% from 139 in the same period last year, according to the Korea Public Tissue Bank. Posthumous and brain-death donations rose 58.8% to 154 cases and living donations more than doubled to 97. One donor's tissue can help up to 100 patients, the bank said.
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Human tissue donations in South Korea rose 80.6% in the first eight months of the year, with 251 cases recorded through the end of August against 139 in the same period a year earlier, according to the Korea Public Tissue Bank. Yonhap reported the figures on October 6, and Dong-A Ilbo carried the same totals the same day, citing the bank's tissue industry trends report. [ 1 , 2 ]
Posthumous and brain-death donations increased 58.8%, from 97 to 154 cases, the bank said. Living donations rose 131.0%, from 42 to 97 cases, more than doubling. Yonhap described posthumous donation figures for the two years as 97 cases last year and 154 this year, while Dong-A Ilbo's summary states posthumous donations this year as 97 cases against 154 a year earlier — the reverse order — while citing the same 58.8% increase. [ 1 , 2 ]
By region, the capital area and Gangwon recorded 161 cases, up from 76; Gyeongsang rose to 60 from 35; and Chungcheong rose to 17 from 12. Jeolla was the only region to decline, edging down to 13 cases from 16, according to the bank. [ 1 ]
Tissue refers to parts of the body — bone, cartilage, fascia, skin, ligaments, heart valves, blood vessels and nerves — that can be collected and transplanted to restore health or prevent disability. Unlike organs, which must be transplanted soon after donation, tissue can be donated within a set time after death or while the donor is alive, then processed, tested and stored until needed. Heart valves or femoral heads removed during surgery, and amniotic membrane from childbirth, can be donated by living donors, Dong-A Ilbo reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
The bank said one donor's tissue can help as many as 100 patients survive or recover, and that donated tissue is transplanted into people with burns, fractures, bone cancer and vascular and visual diseases. [ 1 , 2 ]
Among deceased donors, only about three in ten organ donors also donated tissue in 2024, or 27.2%, which the public tissue bank attributes to a perception that donation severely damages the body. The bank said it conducts the donation process with the highest regard for the deceased and restores the body close to its living appearance before returning it to the family. [ 1 ]
Tissue donation has no age limit, though possible age can be adjusted according to the donor's health and a medical assessment, the bank said. People can register their intention to donate through the National Institute of Organ, Tissue and Blood Management or the Korea Organ Donation Agency by phone or on their websites. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The figures indicate a widening supply of bone, cartilage, skin and heart-valve tissue used in grafts for burns, fractures, bone cancer and vascular and vision conditions. The bank ties the remaining constraint to public perception that posthumous donation damages the body, which it says limits how many organ donors also give tissue.
Key facts
- Tissue donations came to 251 cases as of the end of August, up 80.6% from 139 a year earlier, according to the Korea Public Tissue Bank. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Posthumous and brain-death donations rose 58.8%, from 97 to 154 cases. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Living donations rose 131.0%, from 42 to 97 cases. [ 1 , 2 ]
- By region, the capital area and Gangwon rose from 76 to 161 cases, Gyeongsang from 35 to 60, and Chungcheong from 12 to 17; Jeolla edged down from 16 to 13. [ 1 ]
- Tissue includes bone, cartilage, fascia, skin, ligaments, heart valves, blood vessels and nerves, and is processed, tested and stored before transplantation. [ 1 , 2 ]
- In 2024, 27.2% of organ donors also donated tissue, which the public tissue bank attributes to concern that donation damages the body. [ 1 ]
- Anyone can donate tissue regardless of age, though eligibility can be adjusted based on the donor's health and medical judgment. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Tissue donations totaled 251 cases by the end of August, up 80.6% from 139 a year earlier. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Posthumous and brain-death donations rose to 154 cases from 97, and living donations to 97 from 42. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A single donor's tissue can help as many as 100 patients, the Korea Public Tissue Bank said. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Donated tissue includes bone, cartilage, fascia, skin, ligaments, heart valves, blood vessels and nerves, and is used in grafts for conditions such as burns, fractures, bone cancer and vascular and vision diseases. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Dong-A Ilbo's summary describes posthumous donations as 97 cases this year against 154 a year earlier, while Yonhap reports the opposite direction of change. The two documents disagree on the order of the posthumous-donation figures; Dong-A's summary appears to reverse the years while still citing a 58.8% increase.
- The documents do not say what accounts for the increase in donations. No outlet attributes a cause; the public tissue bank's explanation covers donation procedures and public perception only.
- The Jeolla region is the only area to record a decline, and no reason is given. Single-source figure from Yonhap with no explanation.
- Neither document states the total number of patients treated with the donated tissue. Only the potential of up to 100 patients per donor is given.