109 National Assembly Members Jointly Nominate 'Sorokdo Two Angels' for Nobel Peace Prize

Online Submission Deadline: 31st

▲Sister Margaret (left) and Sister Marianne (right) caring for patients on Sorokdo Island. [Photo by Marianne and Margaret Foundation]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] A total of 109 members of the National Assembly jointly nominated two nurses, Marianne St?ger and Margaret Pisarek, candidates for the Nobel Peace Prize, who have worked for Hansen's disease patients on Sorokdo Island for 43 years.

On the 31st, Choi Hyung-doo, a member of the People Power Party, announced that he had jointly nominated the two nurses for the Nobel Peace Prize, with the online submission deadline. The two nurses, originally from Austria, graduated from the Innsbruck Nursing School and, as part of the medical staff of the Damian Foundation requested by the Korean government, helped treat Hansen's disease patients at the National Sorokdo Hospital. Even after the Damian Foundation withdrew from Korea, they decided to continue staying by the patients' side and carried out various activities as volunteers. During a time when there was fear of infectious diseases, they cared for Hansen's disease patients with bare hands, worked hard on public health, and established public bath facilities, tuberculosis centers, psychiatric hospitals, and facilities for the visually impaired. They also purchased farmland and distributed it to help patients become self-reliant.

In their recommendation letter, the lawmakers stated, "The self-sacrifice of Marianne and Margaret, who helped solely out of a desire to assist those in need, helped patients overcome tragic circumstances and restore human dignity," and added, "Today, their children have become nurses and professional medical personnel, continuing their legacy."

They continued, "The role and heroic dedication of nurses are being reappraised amid the COVID-19 pandemic crisis," and explained the reason for the nomination: "Together with 108 members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, we recommend these two nurses as Nobel Peace Prize recipients to express gratitude for the sweat hidden behind masks and protective suits and to encourage them not to lose strength."