Samsung Medical Center

Samsung Medical Center (SMC) is one of South Korea's premier tertiary care hospitals, located in the Gangnam-gu district of Seoul. Established in 1994 by the Samsung Group as part of its commitment to advancing Korean healthcare, the hospital has grown into one of Asia's most technologically advanced medical institutions. It serves as the primary teaching hospital of the Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, combining world-class clinical care with cutting-edge biomedical research.

With 1,979 beds and over 10,000 staff members, Samsung Medical Center handles more than 2 million outpatient visits and over 60,000 surgeries annually. The hospital is internationally recognized for its cancer treatment programs, particularly through the Samsung Cancer Center, which is one of the largest and most comprehensive cancer treatment facilities in Asia. SMC has been at the forefront of precision medicine in oncology, offering genomic profiling and targeted therapies tailored to individual patients.

Samsung Medical Center holds JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation, reflecting its adherence to the highest global standards of patient safety and clinical quality. The hospital is also accredited by the Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation (KOIHA). Its research output is among the highest of any hospital in South Korea, with thousands of peer-reviewed publications and active participation in international clinical trials.

The hospital's International Health Services center has established SMC as a leading destination for medical tourism in South Korea, attracting patients from across Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and North America seeking advanced cancer treatment, cardiac care, organ transplantation, and minimally invasive robotic surgery at costs significantly lower than those in the United States or Western Europe.

Samsung Medical Center's International Health Services division provides comprehensive support for patients traveling from abroad. Services include pre-arrival teleconsultation and treatment planning with specialist physicians, medical visa assistance and invitation letter issuance, airport pickup and transportation to the hospital or nearby accommodation, dedicated international patient coordinators who manage scheduling and communication throughout the patient's stay, professional medical interpretation in English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, and Mongolian, international insurance billing and claims assistance, comfortable private rooms with international amenities, assistance with hotel and serviced apartment bookings near the hospital in Gangnam, and post-discharge follow-up coordination with referring physicians abroad. The hospital's location in Gangnam provides easy access to hotels, restaurants, and public transportation, making it convenient for patients and accompanying family members.

Samsung Medical Center's Samsung Cancer Center is one of the hospital's internationally defining programs — a comprehensive, fully integrated cancer institute that manages all solid tumor and haematological malignancies through multidisciplinary tumor boards that bring together surgical, medical, and radiation oncology specialists alongside radiologists, pathologists, and palliative care teams. SMC was among the first hospitals in Korea to introduce genomic profiling for precision oncology and to offer CAR-T cell therapy for relapsed haematological cancers, positioning it at the forefront of cancer innovation in Asia. Gastric cancer, thyroid cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, and haematological malignancies including leukemia and lymphoma all have dedicated multidisciplinary programs within the cancer center. The Heart Vascular Stroke Institute provides comprehensive cardiovascular and cerebrovascular care — interventional cardiology (PTCA, TAVI, MitraClip), complex electrophysiology, cardiac surgery (CABG, valve surgery, aortic surgery), heart failure management, and acute stroke intervention. The Organ Transplant Center performs liver (living donor and cadaveric), kidney, heart, and combined transplants with outcomes benchmarked internationally. Neurosciences at SMC covers complex brain tumor surgery, epilepsy surgery, deep brain stimulation, and cerebrovascular neurosurgery. Robotic surgery using da Vinci systems is a hospital-wide capability applied across urology, gynaecology, general surgery, thoracic surgery, and head and neck surgery. Orthopaedics, gastroenterology, nephrology, pulmonology, ophthalmology, dermatology, and paediatrics complete the clinical portfolio.

Samsung Medical Center's facilities reflect the investment of the Samsung Group in building a world-class medical institution. Over 65 operating theatres accommodate the hospital's elective and emergency surgical caseload, with hybrid operating rooms combining imaging and surgical capability for complex cardiovascular, neurovascular, and oncosurgical procedures. The Samsung Cancer Center proton therapy facility — one of only a small number of proton beam therapy centres in South Korea — provides this advanced radiation modality for paediatric cancers, skull base tumors, prostate cancer, and other tumor types where proton therapy offers dosimetric advantages over conventional radiotherapy. PET-CT with an on-site cyclotron enables rapid radiopharmaceutical production for diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine therapy. Multiple 3T MRI systems serve neuroradiology, cardiac MRI, and oncological staging. Cardiac catheterization laboratories, structured for both diagnostic coronary angiography and complex interventional procedures, operate alongside electrophysiology laboratories for catheter ablation and device implantation. A clinical genomics and molecular pathology laboratory enables next-generation sequencing for precision oncology, genetic disease diagnosis, and pharmacogenomics. A comprehensive transplant unit provides perioperative and post-transplant intensive care. An international patient lounge and private international patient accommodation provide comfortable facilities for overseas patients and accompanying family members in the Gangnam district context.

Samsung Medical Center holds JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation, the most rigorous international hospital accreditation standard, held by fewer than 1,500 hospitals worldwide. JCI re-accreditation requires on-site assessment of patient safety systems, clinical outcomes monitoring, infection control, medication management, staff credentials, and hospital governance across the full scope of clinical operations. SMC is also accredited by KOIHA (Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation), South Korea's national accreditation body. As a tertiary teaching hospital of Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine — a top-tier Korean medical school with close ties to Samsung — faculty quality standards are governed by university academic appointment processes. Research activities are conducted under Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) Good Clinical Practice (GCP) regulatory framework and Institutional Review Board oversight. Samsung Medical Center's transplant activities are conducted within the KONOS (Korean Network for Organ Sharing) regulatory framework overseen by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The proton therapy centre and radiation oncology department are operated under Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission regulatory framework for radiation-generating equipment. SMC publishes clinical outcome data including cancer survival statistics and surgical complication rates, providing external transparency of performance.