SOUTH KOREA · KOREAN RED CROSS BLOOD SERVICES
Become a bone marrow donor in South Korea
For people who live in South Korea. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
Four registries sign up people who live in South Korea, all from age 18 to 39. You only need to join one. South Korea has one national pool: KONOS, a Ministry of Health and Welfare agency, names the agencies that sign people up, and every registration goes into its national system. 1 18 Checked .
Browsing from another country? See how joining works where you live.
| Place | South Korea (대한민국) |
|---|---|
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia 21 |
| Population | About 51.7 million (2023) 22 |
| Registries | Korean Red Cross Blood Services (Korean Red Cross)Korea Marrow Donor ProgramCatholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell BankLife Sharing Practice HeadquartersKONOS 1 2 4 5 6 9 10 11 13 14 15 18 19 20 23 |
| Who can join | Korean Red Cross Blood Services: ages 18 to 39, listed until your 55th birthdayKorea Marrow Donor Program: ages 18 to 39, listed until your 55th birthdayCatholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank: ages 18 to 39Life Sharing Practice Headquarters: ages 18 to 39, listed until your 55th birthdayKMDP’s FAQ says that, unlike blood donation, joining has no restriction based on where you live or have stayed abroad, and the Korean Red Cross asks you to bring an ID when you register. Neither says whether residents without Korean nationality can join. 1 4 8 9 14 |
| How you sign up | To join through the Korean Red Cross, visit a nearby blood donation site, talk with staff, fill in the stem cell donor application and give about 5 ml of blood for tissue typing. The Red Cross says entry in the national system and your registration certificate take some time. 1 |
| Cost | KMDP says the costs of registering are covered by its own budget and government funding, and that a donor pays nothing at any stage of preparing for and giving a stem cell donation. 8 |
| Public cord blood bank | The Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank runs a donated cord blood bank, which the Ministry of Health and Welfare has designated since August 2011. Expectant mothers apply online before the birth, and the bank says only the hospitals it works with can collect, so call it first. 16 17 |
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A bone marrow donor registry is also called a stem cell or blood stem cell donor registry.
Which registry should I join in South Korea?
| Registry | Ages to join | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Korean Red Cross Blood Services | 18 to 39 | People who live in South Korea |
| Korea Marrow Donor Program | 18 to 39 | People who live in South Korea |
| Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank | 18 to 39 | People who live in Seoul, at the Catholic University’s Seocho campus or at group events |
| Life Sharing Practice Headquarters | 18 to 39 | People who live in Seoul, at its office or at group sign-ups |
Join through one Korean agency only: the Korean Red Cross says you can’t register twice if you’ve already signed up with KMDP, the Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank, One Body One Spirit Movement or Life Sharing. The Red Cross registers at blood donation sites nationwide; KMDP, the Catholic bank and Life Sharing take individuals at their Seoul offices. 1 4 9 14
In Seoul, KMDP takes walk-in registrations at its Geumcheon-gu office on weekdays from 9:00 to 17:30, the Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank at the Catholic University’s Seocho campus, and Life Sharing at its Jongno-gu office from 9:00 to 18:00; each takes 3 to 5 ml of blood. 4 9 14
South Korea signs up donors aged 18 to 39 through five agencies into one national pool. 18
How do I join in South Korea?
Four services sign up people who live in South Korea. You only need to join one.
Korean Red Cross Blood Services
Run by Korean Red Cross, a blood service.
18–39years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in South Korea, aged 18 to 39.
- Language
- Korean
Why this one first Registers people at blood donation sites across Korea (18–39); the Korea Marrow Donor Program needs a visit to its Seoul office.
Link checked Read the registry’s rules (opens in a new tab)
Korea Marrow Donor Program
Korea Marrow Donor Program is a nonprofit organization.
18–39years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in South Korea, aged 18 to 39.
- Language
- Korean
Who this suits Its rules don’t limit where in South Korea you live.
Link checked Read the registry’s rules (opens in a new tab)
Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank
Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank is a public hospital or university service.
18–39years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in Seoul, at the Catholic University’s Seocho campus or at group events, aged 18 to 39.
- Language
- Korean
Read Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank’s own page (opens in a new tab)
Life Sharing Practice Headquarters
Life Sharing Practice Headquarters is a nonprofit organization.
18–39years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in Seoul, at its office or at group sign-ups, aged 18 to 39.
- Language
- Korean
Read Life Sharing Practice Headquarters’s own page (opens in a new tab)
For patients and families
Korea Marrow Donor Program
Korea Marrow Donor Program is a nonprofit organization.
- Language
- Korean
Information
KONOS
KONOS is a public body.
- Language
- Korean
Link checked Read KONOS’s own page (opens in a new tab)
Who can join in South Korea?
Korean Red Cross Blood Services signs up people who live in South Korea. Its own pages have the full rules, and the registry decides.
- Your health
- Most healthy adults can join. Some conditions rule it out. Read the registry’s health rules (opens in a new tab)
South Korea and the world’s donor search
KMDP says it has coordinated 7,659 unrelated-donor transplants as of 2024, including 564 through international exchange with registries abroad. 7
The Korean Red Cross, citing KONOS, says about 500 people in South Korea need a stem cell transplant each year, and about 40% of them receive cells from an unrelated donor. 3
What happens after I join?
Your tissue type is recorded, so searches for patients can find you. If you match a patient, Korean Red Cross Blood Services contacts you, checks you’re still willing and well, and arranges more tests.
KMDP’s FAQ says an unrelated donation is possible until a donor turns 55, after which their registration details are destroyed automatically. 8
Questions about joining in South Korea
Can I join if I’m not a citizen of South Korea?
KMDP’s FAQ says that, unlike blood donation, joining has no restriction based on where you live or have stayed abroad, and the Korean Red Cross asks you to bring an ID when you register. Neither says whether residents without Korean nationality can join. 1 8
How do I sign up in South Korea: online, by kit or in person?
To join through the Korean Red Cross, visit a nearby blood donation site, talk with staff, fill in the stem cell donor application and give about 5 ml of blood for tissue typing. The Red Cross says entry in the national system and your registration certificate take some time. 1
Does it cost anything to join in South Korea?
KMDP says the costs of registering are covered by its own budget and government funding, and that a donor pays nothing at any stage of preparing for and giving a stem cell donation. 8
How old do you have to be to join Korean Red Cross Blood Services?
Korean Red Cross Blood Services signs up people aged 18 to 39. It keeps you listed until your 55th birthday. 1
Can I donate cord blood in South Korea?
The Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank runs a donated cord blood bank, which the Ministry of Health and Welfare has designated since August 2011. Expectant mothers apply online before the birth, and the bank says only the hospitals it works with can collect, so call it first. 16 17
Questions about donating itself have their own pages: Does it hurt?, How donation works and Recovery.
The registries’ own pages
- Korean Red Cross Blood Services (대한적십자사 혈액관리본부). 조혈모세포 기증 등록 (HSC donor registration).
- Korean Red Cross Blood Services. Homepage.
- Korean Red Cross Blood Services. 조혈모세포 기증 현황 (HSC donation statistics).
- Korea Marrow Donor Program (한국조혈모세포은행협회). 기증희망등록 (Donor registration).
- Korea Marrow Donor Program. 기관소개 (About KMDP).
- Korea Marrow Donor Program. 사업 현황 (Recruitment status). 2025.
- Korea Marrow Donor Program. 사업 현황 (Donation status). 2024.
- Korea Marrow Donor Program. 자주 묻는 질문 (FAQ).
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank (가톨릭조혈모세포은행). 조혈모세포 기증희망 등록방법 및 절차 (Registration).
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank. 소개 (About).
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank. 연혁 (History).
- 한마음한몸운동본부 (One Body One Spirit Movement). Website (linked from KMDP's partner page as obos.or.kr).
- Life Sharing Practice Headquarters (사단법인 생명나눔실천본부). 생명나눔실천본부 home page.
- Life Sharing Practice Headquarters. 조혈모세포 기증이란 (stem cell donation and how to register).
- Life Sharing Practice Headquarters. 기증희망 정보변경 신청 (registrant detail-change board).
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank (가톨릭조혈모세포은행). 제대혈은행의 업무 (What the cord blood bank does).Checked
- Catholic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Bank (가톨릭조혈모세포은행). 제대혈 기증 신청(분만전) (Cord blood donation application, before birth).Checked
Government and official registers
- 국립장기조직혈액관리원 KONOS (Ministry of Health and Welfare). 조혈모세포 기증과 이식절차 (HSC donation and transplant procedure).
- Korea Ministry of Government Legislation. 대한적십자사조직법 (Korean Red Cross Organization Act).
- KONOS. 통계연보 (Statistical yearbooks). 2025.
The World Marrow Donor Association and other figures
- United Nations Statistics Division. Standard country or area codes for statistical use (M49): Overview (English table).
- UN DESA Population Division. World Population Prospects 2024: Total population by sex (CSV).
Research and other sources
- Seoul Metropolitan Government (내 손안에 서울, citizen reporter). 세상에서 가장 아름다운 나눔! '생명나눔실천본부'를 만나다. Updated Jan 31, 2020.
- Jada Bascom Foundation. About us: Jada’s story.Checked