Dr. Lee Jae-young

Dr. Lee Jae-young is a leading surgical oncologist at Asan Medical Centre, one of South Korea's most prestigious and high-volume cancer hospitals. With over 20 years of surgical experience, he is recognized for his mastery of minimally invasive and robotic-assisted cancer surgery, particularly in the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies.

Trained at Seoul National University College of Medicine, Dr. Lee completed his surgical residency and oncology fellowship at Asan Medical Centre before undertaking advanced training in robotic surgery at centres in the United States and Europe. He returned to Asan Medical Centre as faculty and has since performed over 3,000 cancer surgeries, with a significant proportion using da Vinci robotic platforms.

Dr. Lee is a sought-after surgeon among international patients, particularly from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia, who travel to South Korea for access to advanced cancer surgery with excellent outcomes. His multidisciplinary approach integrates surgery with medical oncology and radiation oncology teams to deliver comprehensive cancer care.

He is known for his precise surgical technique, thoughtful pre-operative planning, and thorough post-operative follow-up protocols that support smooth recovery and minimize complications.

Dr. Lee Jae-young earned his MD from Seoul National University College of Medicine, one of South Korea's most competitive medical schools. He completed his general surgery residency at Asan Medical Centre, followed by a dedicated surgical oncology fellowship with subspecialty focus on upper gastrointestinal and hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery.

He completed advanced training in robotic and laparoscopic surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, and the Institut Mutualiste Montsouris in Paris. He is board-certified in General Surgery by the Korean Surgical Society and holds certification in robotic surgical systems.

Dr. Lee has served as a visiting professor and surgical proctor for robotic oncology programs at hospitals across East and Southeast Asia.

Dr. Lee specializes in the surgical management of gastrointestinal cancers, including gastric, colorectal, liver, pancreatic, and biliary tract malignancies. He is a regional authority on robotic-assisted gastrectomy for gastric cancer, a field where South Korea has achieved global leadership due to the high national incidence of this disease.

His procedural repertoire includes total and subtotal gastrectomy (open, laparoscopic, and robotic), laparoscopic right and left hemicolectomy, hepatic segmentectomy and lobectomy, pancreaticoduodenectomy (Whipple procedure), and minimally invasive procedures for thyroid and adrenal malignancies.

Dr. Lee also manages patients requiring complex re-operative surgery after previous oncologic procedures and coordinates neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy planning with his oncology colleagues.

Dr. Lee has published over 60 peer-reviewed papers in journals including Annals of Surgery, Surgery, and the Journal of Surgical Oncology. His research focuses on long-term oncologic outcomes of robotic versus laparoscopic gastrectomy, perioperative management of pancreatic cancer patients, and colorectal cancer survival analysis in Korean and international cohorts.

He has been a co-investigator on national randomized controlled trials comparing surgical approaches in gastric cancer, contributing to clinical practice guideline development for the Korean Gastric Cancer Association. Dr. Lee has presented at the International Gastric Cancer Congress and the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons annual meeting.

Dr. Lee Jae-young has extensive experience managing international patients at Asan Medical Centre, which maintains a dedicated international health services center. He consults in Korean and English, and the centre provides certified medical interpreters for Arabic, Russian, Mongolian, and other languages on request.

Video consultations are available for initial case review, allowing international patients to share pathology reports, imaging studies, and operative histories before committing to travel. The international patient coordinator at Asan Medical Centre assists with medical visa documentation, accommodation, and post-operative care planning.

Pre-operative evaluation can often be compressed into a 2–3 day visit, and Dr. Lee's team is experienced in coordinating efficient itineraries for patients travelling from abroad for time-sensitive cancer surgery.

Dr. Lee has received the Korean Surgical Society's Award for Excellence in Minimally Invasive Surgery and has been recognized by Asan Medical Centre for outstanding patient outcomes in oncologic surgery.

He serves as an editorial board member for the Journal of Gastric Cancer and has been named an invited faculty member at the Korean Cancer Association's annual congress. He has received competitive research grants from the National Cancer Centre Korea and the Korean Health Technology R&D Project for his work on robotic surgical outcomes.