Home > Entertainment > Television

Entertainer Kim Na-young uploads vlog on recent stem cell donation

Published: 03 Sep. 2025, 13:48

Entertainer Kim Na-young records the steps of her donating stem cells in a video titled “Kim Na-young’s Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donation Vlog (A Lucky Letter 10 Years in the Making)” (translated), uploaded on Aug. 31 on her YouTube channel. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Entertainer Kim Na-young has followed through on a hematopoietic stem cell donation she registered for 10 years ago.

Kim uploaded a video titled “Kim Na-young’s Hematopoietic Stem Cell Donation Vlog (A Lucky Letter 10 Years in the Making)” (translated) on her YouTube channel on Sunday.

“A letter from the Korea Marrow Donor Program finally arrived at my home after 10 years,” she said in the video. “They told me there's a patient whose genetic markers match mine.”

She continued, “It’s been so long since I registered as a donor that I first thought the letter was just a reminder of the process. Apparently, the chances of matching human leukocyte antigens, or HLAs, are below 5 percent even between parents and children — unless they’re relatives — and only 25 percent between siblings.”

Kim explained that the likelihood of a match between strangers is extremely low — reportedly just one in tens of thousands — which made her feel “so happy” that there was a patient who matched her and needed her blood.

“It’s amazing to think I can actually do something to help,” she said.

The video documents Kim’s visit to the hospital, where she undergoes blood tests and other checks. A nurse in the video explained, “The general likelihood of a match is one in 20,000, but it depends on how rare the person’s genetic type is. For some patients, only one match shows up in the country’s registry, while others might have 100. In this case, there were fewer than 10 matches in Korea, including Kim Na-young.”

“If my blood can save someone’s life, that alone makes this worth doing," an emotional Kim said, tearing up after her donation.

“I’ve been taking care of my body, eating only healthy food and exercising regularly since I got the confirmation,” she said. “I’ve heard that you can only do this once in your life, so it feels incredibly rewarding.”

She added, “When I went through hard times, I received so much support from people I had never even met — people whose names and faces I didn’t know. Maybe it’s thanks to that support that I’m still here. Now I want to pass on that support and happiness I received.”

The doctor overseeing Kim’s case applauded her deed as well as her vlog, saying, “Just raising awareness like this is already meaningful. When someone donates their stem cells and gives another person a new chance at life, it’s something incredibly valuable.”

According to the National Institute of Organ, Tissue and Blood Management under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, hematopoietic stem cells are rare — making up only about 1 percent of a healthy person’s blood — and are the source of all blood cells. Stem cell transplants are used to treat not only blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, but also autoimmune disorders.

One of the main challenges of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the extremely low probability of a match between donor and recipient HLAs. Between unrelated individuals, the match rate is just one in several thousand to tens of thousands. After donation, most donors’ stem cells regenerate within two to three weeks, and the typical hospital stay is around three to four days.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [[email protected]]