With the coronavirus scare dragging down the amount of blood donations in South Korea well below average, exemplary cases of devoted blood donors are receiving spotlight.

Battery company Samsung SDI employee Cho Hyun-su was acknowledged by the Korean Red Cross for donating blood more than 200 times over the past 20 years, according to the firm this week.

Cho, 38, started giving blood from highschool years and have now drawn an accumulated 85 liters of his blood for others, which is equivalent to 170 bottles of 500 milliliter water bottles.

“Blood donation is the privilege of the healthy. It gives me pleasure to know that my blood is used to save lives,” said Cho.

“I wanted to have a valuable habit to keep, and blood donation has become a part of my life,” he said.

Cho calls blood donation a gift to his life, as his conscious efforts to give blood has prompted him to take on a healthy lifestyle.

In order to donate blood, one must pass a basic health test, each time. Cho said he works out for a minimum of one hour every day and consumes alcohol moderately in order to be able to donate blood. 

Cho has been an inspiration to those around him. Three others in his work team have also been awarded by the KRC for giving blood over 100 times, according to Samsung SDI.

The Korean Red Cross said the blood donation is chronically insufficient in the country, but that with the ongoing coronavirus spread, people’ reluctance to give blood has risen.

The KRC considers the current situation dire and is sending out distress messages for help.

(kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)