Ten Korean organ donors, recipients reach Himalayan peak

SEOUL, Dec. 25 (Yonhap) -- Ten South Korean organ donors and recipients succeeded in climbing a mountain in the Himalayas this week, proving they could be as fit as any ordinary person, the expedition's organizers said Thursday.

The seven recipients and three donors, accompanied by veteran climber Park
Young-seok and about a dozen medical staff, reached the 6,189-meter Island Peak
on Dec. 22, 12 days after they began the trek.
All team members were descending from the mountains safely, according to Seoul
National University Hospital, which organized the expedition.
"All team members, who together endured hard training, are sharing a strong,
newborn will," 54-year-old Yang Ji-mo, the eldest member of the team and a liver
transplant recipient, was quoted as saying in a press release. "We hope our
success will play a role in enhancing public awareness of organ donation."
All members underwent a 12-week mountaineering training session.
The expedition was organized mainly to boost public awareness about organ
donation. South Korea has one of the lowest organ transplant rates in the world.
According to the Korean Network for Organ Sharing, there are 17,868 South Koreans
currently waiting for cadaveric organ donation.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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