"Suddenly Collapsed"... 24-Year-Old Haegum Player Saves 3 Lives Before Passing Away

A 20-year-old haegeum player who loved Korean traditional music saved three lives through brain-dead organ donation and passed away.

The Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency announced on the 10th that Lee Ji-hyun (24) donated her liver and kidneys (both sides) through brain-dead organ donation at Konyang University Hospital on the 30th of last month, saving three lives.

Lee Ji-hyun [Photo by Korea Organ Donation Agency]

Lee, who had been active as a haegeum player while pursuing a master's degree at Chung-Ang University Graduate School of Arts, suddenly collapsed on the 5th of last month while preparing for bed after finishing work. She was rushed to the hospital but did not recover and entered a brain-dead state.

As a registered organ donation hopeful who had been interested in organ donation, Lee’s parents wished that although their daughter’s life was short, her final path would be one that saves lives. They decided on organ donation, believing that having a part of their daughter live on would also be a comfort to the family.

According to the bereaved family, Lee was born as the youngest of two daughters in Daejeon and was affectionate and bright in personality. She developed a dream of becoming a Korean traditional music performer after becoming fascinated with the haegeum performance in the drama "Chuno," which her father liked, during high school.

Lee graduated from Mokwon University’s Department of Korean Music and was active as a haegeum player while pursuing a master's degree in Arts Management at Chung-Ang University Graduate School of Arts.

Donor Lee Ji-hyun and family. [Photo by Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency]

The donation agency stated, "We hope that Lee Ji-hyun’s dream of loving music and wanting to widely share Korean traditional music will be conveyed to many hearts. Thanks to the precious life-sharing of the donor and the donor’s family, three new lives could be saved, and we will cherish the warm heart that saved lives and departed for a long time."

Videos of Lee’s haegeum performance and interviews with her family can be viewed on the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency’s YouTube channel.

Meanwhile, according to the status of organ transplant waiting and donors from the Ministry of Health and Welfare in July, there were 49,765 transplant waiters in 2022. The number of transplant waiters excludes those who have received transplants, deceased, or canceled their surgeries. The number of donors increased from 4,490 in 2020 to 4,601 in 2021 but decreased to 4,248 in 2022.