Teacher donates blood 165 times, guides youth

On May 9, a blood donation bus decorated with a red heart arrived at the athletic field of Korea University High School in Seongbuk District, Seoul. It marked the school’s first group donation event in six years, following a long pause caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 100 students gave blood that day.

The event was initiated by Kim Kyu-il, 55, a math teacher at the school. As advisor to the Red Campaigners, a student group promoting blood donation, Kim has actively encouraged students to participate.

“The low donation rates among teens and people in their 20s are mainly due to a lack of opportunity,” Kim said in a phone interview. “Some students are afraid of needles at first, but after donating, they feel proud. I believe I am teaching them something more meaningful than academics.”

Kim registered as a regular donor with the Korean Red Cross in 2018 and has since made 165 component donations over seven years. Component donation involves collecting specific elements such as plasma or platelets while returning the remaining blood to the donor’s body. The process takes between 30 and 90 minutes, making it more time-consuming than whole blood donation, which usually lasts 10 to 15 minutes.

“I decided to donate components after learning that Korea was importing plasma due to shortages,” he said. “My goal is to reach 300 donations before I turn 60.”

According to the Korean Red Cross, registered blood donors increased from 876,332 in 2017 to 2.24 million by the end of May. However, only about 35 percent of registered donors actually gave blood last year, highlighting the need for greater efforts to encourage consistent participation.

“I take better care of my health so I can continue donating,” Kim said. “Donating blood is something I do for myself.”


방성은 기자 bbang@donga.com