Christopher Magoon, from Ohio of the United States, who donated his stem cells to a woman in his hometown in December 2010, went to the hospital with staff members from the China Marrow Donor Program to visit Xu.

"Helping others is great, especially helping people internationally like what Mr Xu is doing," he said.

Xu said his decision won the support of his wife.

It was Xu's birthday on Thursday, and he received flowers from the China Marrow Donor Program and a birthday cake from nurses at the hospital.

Choi You-jin, an assistant manager of the Korean Marrow Donor Program, said that she appreciated the soldier's selfless actions.

The South Korean recipient is a 25-year-old man who is in critical condition. He needs to receive the donation surgery as soon as possible, Choi said.

About 20 overseas patients a year have received stem cell donations from Chinese donors in recent years, said Hong Junling, director of the China Marrow Donor Program.

A total of 1.5 million people in China have become candidate donors for stem cells by having their blood samples collected in the program, Hong said.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.

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