Seoul St. Mary's Hospital

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital is the flagship hospital of the Catholic University of Korea's medical system, one of South Korea's largest and most respected private healthcare networks. Located in the Seocho-gu district of southern Seoul, the hospital was originally established in 1944 as part of the Catholic medical mission in Korea. After decades of growth and expansion, the current state-of-the-art hospital building was completed in 2009, making it one of the most modern hospital facilities in the country.

With 1,400 beds and approximately 6,000 staff members, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital has earned an international reputation that extends well beyond its size. The hospital is most globally recognized for its Department of Hematology, which operates one of the world's largest and most experienced hematopoietic stem cell transplant (bone marrow transplant) programs. The Catholic Hematology Hospital within St. Mary's has performed thousands of stem cell transplants and is a global reference center for the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, aplastic anemia, and other blood disorders.

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital holds JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation and is accredited by the Korea Institute for Healthcare Accreditation (KOIHA). The hospital is the primary teaching facility of the Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, ranked among the top medical schools in the country. Its clinical programs extend far beyond hematology, with strong departments in cardiology, gastroenterology, nephrology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, and organ transplantation, particularly kidney transplantation where it has one of Korea's longest track records.

As a Catholic institution, the hospital integrates a mission of compassionate, patient-centered care that emphasizes the dignity of every patient. This ethos is reflected in its holistic approach to treatment, strong pastoral care services, and commitment to serving underserved populations alongside its role as a leading tertiary care center.

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital's International Health Care Center provides dedicated support for patients traveling from abroad, with particular expertise in coordinating complex hematological treatments that require extended stays. Services include pre-arrival medical record review and specialist consultation by hematologists and other specialists, assistance with medical visa applications and official invitation letters, airport pickup and transportation to the hospital or nearby accommodation in the Seocho and Gangnam areas, dedicated international patient coordinators who manage scheduling and serve as the communication bridge between patients and medical teams, professional medical interpretation in English, Chinese, Japanese, and other languages, assistance with international insurance claims and billing, private rooms equipped for international patient comfort, guidance on long-stay accommodation for patients undergoing extended treatments such as stem cell transplant (which may require weeks to months in Seoul), and structured post-discharge follow-up including coordination with referring hematologists and oncologists abroad.