Busan Bumin Hospital's Seok Sangyun Conducts 'Biportal Endoscopic Spine Surgery' Training at Japanese National University Hospitals

Spreading Korean Surgical Techniques
at Leading Japanese University Hospitals
Including the University of Tokyo Hospital

Busan Bumin Hospital (Director Choi Changhwa) announced that Seok Sangyun, head of the Spine Center, visited several major national university hospitals in Japan?including the University of Tokyo Hospital, Hokkaido University Hospital, and Shinshu University Hospital?from April 17 to May 1, delivering lectures and conducting surgical training on biportal endoscopic spine surgery.

This activity was part of the 2025 Travelling Fellowship Program organized by the Japanese Society for Spine Surgery and Related Research (JSSR). Dr. Seok was selected as the representative from Korea and, together with Professor Kang Dongho from Samsung Medical Center, engaged in academic exchanges and surgical training at major spine-specialized university hospitals in Japan for about two weeks.

At the invitation of local medical staff, Dr. Seok gave lectures at each hospital on topics including: △the theory and techniques of biportal endoscopic spine surgery, and △case applications and surgical methods for cervical and thoracolumbar diseases. Through these lectures, he shared the clinical effectiveness and latest trends of this surgical technique.

Notably, the University of Tokyo Hospital, where the lectures were held, ranked second in Asia and first in Japan in the 2024 global university hospital rankings. The training drew significant attention from the Japanese medical community.

Japanese medical professionals who attended the lectures expressed strong interest, stating, "It was a valuable opportunity to learn Korea's leading minimally invasive surgical techniques firsthand."

'Biportal Endoscopic Spine Surgery' is a minimally invasive surgical technique first developed in Korea and is now being actively adopted worldwide. In particular, it is considered a representative spinal treatment method that improves patients' quality of life by reducing bleeding and recovery time through micro-incisions.

Seok Sangyun stated, "It was a very meaningful experience to teach Korean surgical techniques at such prestigious university hospitals in Japan," and added, "I feel a great sense of accomplishment as this provided a platform for the international expansion and discussion of biportal endoscopic spine surgery." He continued, "Moving forward, I will further strengthen Bumin Hospital's competitiveness in endoscopic spine surgery through ongoing global academic exchanges."

Choi Changhwa, Director of Busan Bumin Hospital, emphasized, "Dr. Seok's lecture activities in Japan are part of Bumin Hospital's efforts to expand its global medical network and serve as an opportunity to showcase the excellence of Korean medicine to the world." He added, "We will continue to actively support domestic and international academic activities based on our advanced capabilities in complex spinal surgeries."