Paying 200 Million Won to "Wake Up in 250 Years"... 4,000 Are on the Waiting List for 'Cryogenic Human Preservation'

Seven Bodies Stored at Australian Facility
Estimated 800 Worldwide, Three in Korea

There is a growing number of people who, believing in the power of future medical technology, choose to entrust their bodies to liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees Celsius after death. While these individuals dream of awakening centuries later in a world where incurable diseases have been conquered, the scientific community points out that such hopes are closer to an unattainable "fantasy."

Image generated by AI to aid understanding of the article. ChatGPT

According to The Guardian on September 11 (local time), "Southern Cryonics," the only human cryopreservation facility in the Southern Hemisphere, is operating in a warehouse located in an industrial complex in Holbrook, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 2023, this facility currently holds the bodies of seven deceased individuals. Management refers to them not as "deceased," but as "patients" with the potential to be revived in the future.

'Cryogenic Humans' Seen in Movies Become Reality

They are stored upside down with their heads pointing downward in "duers," large storage containers filled with liquid nitrogen at minus 196 degrees Celsius, within the facility. The target point for these cryogenic humans is 250 years from now, when medical science is expected to have made revolutionary advances. Chairman Peter Tsolakidis estimates there is about a 10% chance of revival after 250 years, but he drew a clear line, emphasizing that this is not a scientific figure but merely the company's projection.

Seven people are currently stored in liquid nitrogen at the Southern Cryonics facility in Holbrook, Australia. The photo shows liquid nitrogen being replenished in one of the storage containers (dewar). Photo by The Guardian

The total cost of undergoing such cryopreservation amounts to 210,000 Australian dollars (approximately 200 million won). This includes about 60,000 Australian dollars for the stabilization and cryoprocessing of the body immediately after death, and 150,000 Australian dollars (about 144.3 million won) for unlimited long-term storage. An annual membership fee of 350 Australian dollars (about 336,000 won) is charged separately.

The cryopreservation process must take place rapidly after the legal pronouncement of death, during which a "cryopreservation technique" is applied to freeze and preserve living tissues. Unlike the "hibernation" common in science fiction films—where metabolism slows but does not stop—cryopreservation technology causes the body to freeze completely, halting all biological processes.

Illustration showing the process of injecting cryopreservative solution into the human body. Cryorus homepage

First, for cryopreservation, the body is cooled with ice packs and a protective solution similar to antifreeze is infused, replacing blood and turning human tissue into a glass-like solid through a process called "vitrification," which takes approximately eight hours. This process is intended to prevent ice crystals from forming and tearing cell membranes. However, according to the facility's contract, it is explicitly stated that the current preservation method carries a high risk of causing irreversible physical damage to the body.

Scientific Community Warns: "Defrosted Brain Would Be Crushed Like a Strawberry"

The scientific community remains highly skeptical. While the cryopreservation of certain cells such as sperm, eggs, and embryos, or vitrification of a mouse kidney, has progressed, the prevailing view is that it is technically impossible with current technology to perfectly freeze and thaw an entire human body. This is because the body’s surface and internal organs cool at different rates, and the highly concentrated cryoprotectant itself can be toxic to cells.

The warehouse located in Holbrook, Australia. According to the management, "Southern Cryonics" is one of only six human cryopreservation facilities worldwide. The Guardian

In particular, the greatest challenge remains the "brain." During freezing, synapses can be destroyed or the preservative may not be distributed evenly, resulting in the complete loss of memory, personality, and identity. Experts point out that contemporary science cannot currently achieve the complete restoration of memory and consciousness after death.

Experts explain: "Just as a thoroughly frozen strawberry may look fine on the outside, but becomes mushy and crushed when thawed, a similar phenomenon would occur with the brain. When strawberries freeze, the water layer expands and destroys the cell membranes; as they thaw, sticky fluid leaks from the cells, causing them to soften. In the same way, a technology that can fully repair brain cells during thawing is absolutely necessary for revival to succeed."

About 800 People Preserved Worldwide... 3 in Korea

Despite such technological limitations, it is estimated that between 800 and 1,000 people have undergone cryopreservation worldwide. Of these, about 600 are in the United States, and about 200 are in Russia; more than 4,000 people are registered and awaiting the procedure. These supporters believe: "Cryogenic humans are patients suffering from incurable diseases who have been frozen until a future when treatment is available, preserving their last hope of returning to life."

The Russian cryopreservation company Cryorus holds a total of 108 individuals, including 31 foreigners and one Korean. Cryorus official website

The scientist FM Esfandiary, who established an organization in 1972, died of cancer in 2000, and his body is currently preserved inside a cryogenic capsule. Esfandiary believed that by 2030, when he would have turned 100, cryopreservation would succeed, and thus changed his name to FM 2030.

Russian cryopreservation company KrioRus, together with the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in the United States, operates one of the largest cryogenic facilities. According to the KrioRus website, on January 5, 2020, a Korean woman underwent full-body cryopreservation at their facility.

In Korea, there is also a company specializing in cryogenic human preservation headquartered in the country. KrioAsia, headed by CEO Han Hyungtae, which also offers companion animal somatic cell storage services, is the only domestic cryopreservation company. According to Han Hyungtae, a total of three individuals have chosen cryogenic preservation in Korea: an elderly woman in her 80s suffering from leukemia in 2020 and a woman in her 40s with bile duct cancer in 2021 are among them.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.