Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital / Catholic University (South Korea)

Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital is part of The Catholic University of Korea. Cmcseoul+2Maeil Business Newspaper+2
It has a Robotic Surgery Center that brings together surgeons from many disciplines: surgery, urology, OB/GYN, ENT, thoracic surgery, anesthesia, pain medicine, etc. Cmcseoul
The center started performing robotic surgeries in March 2009, first using a da Vinci S system. Cmcseoul+2Asia Economy+2

The hospital currently operates five robots: four da Vinci Xi and one da Vinci SP system. Cmcseoul+2Asia Economy+2
As of October 2022, they had crossed 10,000 robotic-assisted surgeries. Asia Economy
According to their Robotic Surgery Center, their robotics program covers a very broad range of clinical fields: urology, gynecology (uterine fibroids, gynecologic cancer), kidney / bladder cancer, hepatobiliary / pancreatic disease, colorectal cancer, thyroid cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, head & neck, mediastinal disease, lung cancer, etc. Cmcseoul

Urology: As of March 2022, the Urology Department had performed 3,000+ robot-assisted surgeries. Asia Economy
- Breakdown (in that 3,000): prostate (~1,671 cases), kidney (~943), bladder (~259), ureter (~86). Asia Economy
- They use both da Vinci Xi and SP for different urologic cases. Asia Economy
Obstetrics & Gynecology: According to a 2024 report, their OB/GYN department has completed 5,000+ robotic surgeries. SportsChosun
- The most common gynecologic robotic procedures: uterine myoma (fibroid) resection, adenomyomectomy, ovarian cystectomy, gynecologic cancer surgery. SportsChosun
- Prof. Kim Mi-ran (OB/GYN) has been a leading figure; she reached 1,000 robotic myomectomy cases and teaches / mentors via the Intuitive “Epicenter” program. SportsChosun
Other Surgical Fields: Their Robotic Surgery Center states they do robotic surgery in gastrointestinal (gastric, colorectal), thyroid, head & neck, thoracic (lung), and mediastinal diseases. Cmcseoul

They have a Robotic Surgery Training Center — opened around October 2013 — equipped with da Vinci robots, simulation devices (dry lab), simulators. Cmcseoul
In 2022, they were officially designated as a Robotic Surgery Curriculum Training Center (Total Program Observation Center) by Intuitive Surgical. Cmcseoul
This center offers structured, level-based curricula: theoretical lectures + hands-on practice. They train residents, interns, medical students, and also international physicians. Cmcseoul
Their training setup includes simulators such as the Mimic robotic simulator, a laparoscopic trainer, and an endoscopic simulator. Cmcseoul

They adopted da Vinci SP (single-port) surgery, enabling operations through a very small incision (~2.7 cm), which is helpful for deep or narrow surgical sites. Asia Economy
The SP system helps perform delicate & complex surgeries with more precision and less invasiveness. Cmcseoul
Their designation by Intuitive as an education & mentoring hub (for robotic surgery) in Asia shows their influence is not just clinical but also educational and strategic. Asia Economy+1

The fact that they reached 10,000 robotic cases in about 13 years (2009–2022) indicates high throughput and experience. Asia Economy
Their multi-disciplinary use of robotics supports broad patient benefit — from cancer to benign disease, across many organ systems.
Their training center helps ensure safe adoption of robotic surgery, not just locally but for surgeons from other hospitals / countries.

Like other high-volume robotic centers, maintaining many robot systems (they have 5) requires significant resources — cost, maintenance, staff training.
Patient selection is important — as with other centers, some cases may not be well suited for robot-assisted surgery depending on anatomy, disease, or risk.
Training demand is high: balancing high surgical volume with educational obligations can be a logistical challenge.

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