A 17-year-old high school student who dreamed of becoming an aircraft maintenance technician suffered an unexpected motorcycle accident, donated organs after being declared brain-dead to share life with six people, and went to the sky.
On the 31st, according to the Korea Organ Donation Agency (KODA), Kim Dong-geon, 17, donated his heart, lungs, a partitioning liver, and both kidneys through brain-dead organ donation at Hanyang University Hospital in Seoul on Nov. 20, saving the lives of six people before passing away.
Kim was in a motorcycle accident on the 16th, slipping on sand and falling while riding home. He was then taken to a hospital and treated by medical staff but did not regain consciousness.
Raised as an only son in Seo-gu, Incheon, Kim had a bright and caring personality, and was a warm son who often brought coffee to his mother working near their home, the bereaved family said.
Fond of working with machines, Kim obtained a motorcycle license and studied motorcycle maintenance. He also dreamed of becoming an aircraft maintenance technician and planned to enroll in a related school.
Kim's father, Kim Tae-hyeon, said, "My wife lost her left leg in a traffic accident when she was young and lived uncomfortably with a prosthetic leg, so she did not think about marriage. Then, at 40, she met me and gave birth to Dong-geon, and we shared the happiest moments in the world," and added, "Because he was our only son, we even gave him the nickname 'Onniwon,' pouring so much affection into him."
Kim's mother, Bae Gyu-na, said, "Dong-geon, thank you, Mom is grateful. You often told Mom you loved me, and we traveled a lot; it was such a happy time," adding, "I wished we could have spent more time together, but in the sky, don't be in pain and live happily. I love you."