A 30-Year Accident-Free Family Head Who Could Not Say No to Others, Passes Away Peacefully After Liver Donation

"The beneficiary is also a head of household and someone's son...
Striving to save even one more life"

A head of household in his 70s who fell into a brain-dead state donated his liver to save a life and became a star in the sky.

Kim In-tae (left), who donated his liver through brain-dead organ donation to save other lives before passing away. [Image source - Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency]

On the 17th, the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency announced that on the 16th of last month, 72-year-old Kim In-tae donated his liver to one person through brain-dead organ donation at Dong-A University Hospital and then passed away peacefully. Kim, who had been a taxi driver for over 30 years without any accidents and worked diligently, was found to have abnormalities during a health checkup last year and had a peritoneal dialysis catheter inserted and received dialysis since October. Then, on the 3rd of last month, he lost consciousness and collapsed after taking a bath at home.

Kim was immediately transported to the hospital and received active treatment from medical staff, but ultimately did not regain consciousness and became brain dead.

Born as the eldest son among seven siblings in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongnam, Kim worked for over 20 years at a baseball equipment manufacturing company before becoming a taxi driver. On weekends, he spent time with his family and enjoyed fishing, being a devoted head of household. The bereaved family said he was also a kind person who could not say unpleasant things to others.

The donation agency said that Kim’s wife agreed to the donation remembering that she has a brother with a speech disability and always wanted to help those in need, and that the deceased was also interested in sharing life.

Kim’s wife gave her final farewell, saying, "In heaven, be healthy, don’t be sick, and do everything you want to do. Thank you for the time we spent together."

Moon In-seong, director of the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency, said, "The transplant recipient who gained life through the donation is also a son and father of a family," and added, "Since sharing life is an act of love and saving lives, the Korea Organ and Tissue Donation Agency will strive to save even one more life."