The Seoul orthopedic hospital that implants cord blood stem cells into worn knee cartilage.
Gangnam JS Hospital is a 100-bed orthopedic hospital in southern Seoul. It opened in November 2013 and is known for one procedure above all others: implanting mesenchymal stem cells taken from donated umbilical cord blood into damaged knee cartilage. Its first well-known patient was Guus Hiddink, who coached South Korea to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals and had been told by surgeons in the United States and Germany that a knee replacement was his remaining option. He had the cell implant in Seoul in late 2013 instead. Chief director Song Jun-seop has performed the procedure on roughly 3,000 patients since, and the hospital has published eight SCI(E)-indexed papers on its cartilage results. The rest of the practice is ordinary orthopedics: arthroscopic knee and shoulder surgery, spine endoscopy, sports injury work, and inpatient rehabilitation, run by about 55 staff that includes doctors who have covered Korean national football squads. Imaging, operating theatres and rehab are all in the same building, so a foreign patient is not being routed between facilities. International enquiries go through a separate English-language desk, and the hospital is listed as a medical travel destination by the Korea Tourism Organization.
Board-Certified Physicians
Hospital Affiliation
Accreditations are records-based and do not imply endorsement of any treatment's safety or efficacy.
Starting from
On consultation
consult to quote
No prices are published. The hospital quotes after MRI review, because the figure depends on the size of the cartilage defect and whether other work is done in the same operation. Korean national insurance covers part of the bill for residents; foreign patients pay privately and should ask what the quote covers beyond the implant itself, including the inpatient stay, imaging and follow-up.
Pricing is indicative and set by each clinic. Confirm the final cost directly before treatment.
3 reviews
Individual results vary and are not typical or guaranteed. Case studies and testimonials reflect one person's experience.
Experience
My stay at Gangnam JS Hospital in Seoul was a remarkable experience. I traveled to Korea to undergo a knee treatment involving stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood, combined with an intensive rehabilitation program. While the treatment itself was the main reason for my journey, what impressed me most was the quality and intensity of the rehabilitation process.
Experience
I am extremely pleased to have found Gangnam JS Hospital. I underwent their stem cell-based cartilage regeneration and leg realignment procedures for my right knee a little more than a year ago. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made..I came back this year to remove the plate and screws from the leg realignment and continue my journey back to athletic mobility.
Experience
No wonder why scheduling an appointment was so easy. The doctor's attitude was absolutely unacceptable. He was yelling in the room and I had to pay for him to say a single sentence. Absolutely do not come here. Patients are treated without any dignity or humanity. Truly disappointing
Third-party sources, summarised by our editors and quoted where a reviewer said it best. These are not Gangnam JS Hospital's reviews on this site and are not counted in its rating here.
4.3out of 5 on Google from 78 ratings
Gangnam JS Hospital shows a 4.3 rating across 78 Google reviews. Google's own topic tags indicate reviewers most often discuss surgical operations and knee surgery, with smaller mentions of stem cell treatment and umbilical cord blood. Rehabilitation, post-surgery recovery and hospital cleanliness also appear, and no independent free-text review source was found.
Most-mentioned on Google
Checked . Figures on the source may have changed since. View the Google listing
Reddit has almost no discussion of this hospital. The only mention found is a 2015 Tottenham fan thread where a commenter quotes a Korean news article citing the hospital's director on a footballer's foot injury. No patient reviews, cost reports or treatment experiences turned up in any search.
Recurring points
Checked . Figures on the source may have changed since.
Song Jun-seop
Chief Director
MD, Orthopedic Surgery
Song opened the hospital in 2013 and implanted cord blood mesenchymal stem cells in Guus Hiddink's knee later that year. He has carried out the procedure on around 3,000 patients since and has published eight SCI(E)-indexed papers on the cartilage outcomes. He has also worked as a team physician to Korean national football squads, and takes referrals from the Gulf, China, Europe and North America.
Kim Na-min
Hospital Director
MD, Orthopedic Surgery
Handles sports injuries, arthritis and knee correction surgery, including osteotomy for bow-legged alignment before or alongside cartilage work.
Hwang Yoon-ha
Clinical Director
MD, Neurosurgery
Board-certified neurosurgeon covering the spine side of the practice: herniated discs, stenosis and endoscopic decompression.
Lee Sun-yong
Clinical Director
MD, Radiology
Board-certified radiologist. Reads the MRI that decides whether a knee has a focal cartilage defect worth implanting into.
Koh Kyung-hee
Director of Anesthesiology
MD, Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Runs anesthesia and post-operative pain management for the hospital's surgical cases.
Not yet verified
This clinic has not completed verification. Listings are still curated, but accreditation hasn't been confirmed.
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