President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee’s Lunar New Year gifts triggered controversy, as they were presented to Buddhist leaders in packaging featuring illustrations of a church, cross and rosary drawn by Hansen’s disease patients. An association of Hansen’s disease patients also expressed displeasure, saying the patients were hurt by the controversy which they said caused by prejudice.
It is with deep sadness that we acknowledge the recent passing of Sister Margaret Pissarek, a former Austrian nurse whose selfless dedication to caring for Korean leprosy patients on Sorok Island for over four decades touched countless lives. Born in 1935, Margaret s journey began after graduating from a nursing school in Innsbruck, Austria. In 1966, she made the life-changing choice to serve at the Sorok National Hospital, Sorok Island, Gohung County, South Jeolla Province where she tirelessly tended to Hansen s disease patients until 2005. Remarkably, Margaret s altruism knew no bounds as she steadfastly refused any form of financial remuneration, embodying a profound sense of compassion for the less fortunate.
Marianne and Margaret were nurses. From the early 1960s until the 2000s, over 40 years in all, they played a crucial role in making a settlement for lepers on Sorok Island in Goheung County, South Jeolla Province. The two nurses took care of them with devotion and love for over 40 years before returning home to Austria in 2005.
Memorial Altar Commemorates Leprosy Carer chosun.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chosun.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A former Austrian nurse, who spent about 40 years taking care of Korean leprosy patients on the remote island of Sorok, has died in her home country at age 88, officials said Saturday.