Wellton Hospital Officially Designated as Johnson & Johnson's "International Digital Surgery Training Center"
Recognized for extensive robotic surgery experience, Wellton Hospital is now a global education hub — training domestic and international physicians with the most advanced surgical technology available.
Why Wellton Hospital?
The cornerstone of this designation is Wellton Hospital's exceptional surgical volume and clinically verified outcomes. Johnson & Johnson selects only medical institutions with the deepest surgical expertise worldwide to serve as official training centers.
Hospital Director Song Sang-ho has personally performed over 15,000 hip and knee joint replacement surgeries (as of December 2025), establishing a level of mastery that speaks for itself. His consistent success in complex revision surgeries and technically demanding cases made Wellton Hospital the ideal partner to lead surgical education for medical professionals globally.
3 Core Advanced Systems Powering the Training Program
To deliver world-class, hands-on surgical education to domestic and international physicians, Wellton Hospital has integrated three state-of-the-art systems:
The VELYS Robotic System is Johnson & Johnson's latest next-generation robotic platform — uniquely designed exclusively for knee surgery, unlike general-purpose surgical robots.
- Ultra-precise real-time tracking: A high-performance camera analyzing over 400 frames per second tracks the patient's knee in real time, enabling surgical precision to within 0.5mm and 0.5 degrees.
- Quantified soft tissue balancing: The critical balance of ligaments and soft tissue — which surgeons previously assessed by feel and visual judgment — is now captured as objective, real-time numerical data during surgery, significantly enhancing accuracy.
- Surgeon-led workflow: Unlike systems where pre-op planning is delegated to technical staff, VELYS puts the surgeon in full control — from surgical planning and bone cutting to outcome evaluation — enabling truly personalized surgery with immediate adaptability to intraoperative variables.
This system precisely guides the optimal insertion position and angle for implants during hip replacement surgery, addressing the two most critical post-operative outcomes: leg length discrepancy and offset balance.
- Leg length and balance correction: Leg length and lateral offset are measured and corrected in real time throughout surgery. Discrepancies in leg length and pelvic imbalance can lead to limping, back and knee pain, and dislocation risk — the navigation system resolves these intraoperatively for superior joint stability.
- Faster muscle recovery: When implants are placed at the precise position and angle, surrounding muscles and ligaments function more naturally — resulting in a more normal gait pattern post-surgery and a notably accelerated recovery of muscle strength, shortening rehabilitation time.
- Safe, non-invasive approach: While conventional robotic systems require fixation pins inserted into the pelvis, VELYS Hip Navigation operates entirely without pins — using only intraoperative imaging. This is especially beneficial for elderly patients with fragile bone density, minimizing additional incisions, infection risk, fracture risk, and radiation exposure.
This system allows trainees to observe every step of live, ongoing surgeries in real time — with direct, two-way communication and live Q&A with the operating surgeon.
- Beyond simulation: Trainees learn the nuanced techniques and real-time decision-making of Wellton Hospital's surgeons as they operate on actual patients — capturing the kind of tacit knowledge and situational judgment that no textbook or simulation can replicate.
- Hands-on workshop space: A dedicated hands-on workshop will be established where trainees can practice cutting and instrument manipulation on anatomically accurate sawbone models.
- Integrated observe-practice-discuss model: Trainees can simultaneously observe live surgeries from the seminar room while engaging in discussion and peer exchange — creating a rich, three-dimensional educational loop: observe → practice → discuss.
"From Treating Patients to Training Physicians"
Building on its proven surgical expertise and cutting-edge technology, Wellton Hospital is expanding its role beyond clinical care — becoming a dedicated joint surgery training institution for orthopedic specialists in Korea and medical professionals worldwide. The hospital plans to operate customized programs that combine its surgeons' hands-on clinical experience with structured educational content.
"If Wellton Hospital has until now built its reputation through the volume of surgeries and results that speak for themselves, we have now reached the stage of sharing that expertise with medical professionals at home and abroad. With a sense of mission to take direct responsibility for the surgical training of global medical professionals, we will generously share every advanced system we possess and every ounce of verified experience we have accumulated."
Rising as a Global Medical Education Hub
Alongside the operation of the training center, Wellton Hospital plans to hold regular international medical exchange programs and expert-invitation workshops. Looking further ahead, the hospital intends to introduce a remote surgical mentoring system — expanding into a global education platform where medical professionals worldwide can receive real-time mentorship from Wellton's specialists, regardless of geographic location.
✦ Officially designated by Johnson & Johnson MedTech Korea as an International Digital Surgery Training Center
✦ Director Song Sang-ho: 15,000+ solo joint replacement surgeries (as of Dec. 2025)
✦ Three integrated systems: VELYS Robotic (Knee) · VELYS Navigation (Hip) · Live Surgery Streaming
✦ Training for both domestic and international orthopedic surgeons
✦ Future plans: remote surgical mentoring platform for global reach
