Participation in the 2023 KSES – SECEC/ESSSE Exchange Travelling Fellowship Program

Dear friends in South Korea,

Dr Ante Prkic and I have spent two weeks in South Korea between October 20th and November 5th, 2023 as SECEC travelling fellows from Europe. We had opportunity to visit multiple centers in your country and to observe various shoulder and elbow surgeries performed by the world-famous Korean surgeons. And also we enjoyed Korean hospitality, cuisine, culture and history during our stay.
After our arrival in Seoul, we have met Dr. Jae-Hoo Lee, who took care of us meticulously and organized everything together with Dr. Myung-Seo Kim. The next day, we took the train for Daegu where we attended regional KSES meeting and presented our scientific work with Ante Prkic. The first night in Daegu, we had an amazing welcome dinner with KSES members and met future hosting surgeons. After the meeting, I had the chance to visit Prof. Sam Guk Park and Prof. Chang-Hyuk Choi in Youngnam University and Daegu Catholic University. We also explored a traditional bazaar in Daegu with company of Dr. Doo Han Kim and enjoyed traditional Korean food.
After two days in Daegu, we turned back to Seoul and our long stay in there started. During our stay in Seoul, we tried to explore this magnificent and vivid city as much as we can. In our first week in Seoul, we visited Prof. Sang-Jin Shin, Prof. Hyun Seok Song, Prof. In-Ho Jeon and Prof. Yong-Min Chun. We observed all kinds of shoulder surgery (including arthroplasty, instability, cuff repair, SCR...) and benefited knowledge and experience of these amazing surgeons. And we also enjoyed delicious Korean food and drinks every night with our hosts! The week ended with DMZ and Han river tour with lots of info about Korean history and culture. We even wore a traditional Korean hanbok at the Changdeokgung palace where we felt like a real Korean!

The second week, we visited Prof. Jin-Young Park, Prof. Jae Chul Yoo, Prof. Joo Han Oh and Prof. Yong Girl Rhee. I am pretty sure that Ante has also learned a lot from these experienced and talented surgeons as I did. We had a combined dinner with all the hosting surgeons, shared our experiences, and of course enjoyed very delicious traditional Korean food.
Then we had to leave Seoul for Jeju Island in order to attend KSES congress. We had an amazing time in this wonderful exotic island where we felt like in a summer vacation. We presented our studies in the congress and received a plaque from Prof. Jae Chul Yoo, the president of KSES, marking the memory of this travelling fellowship. Then we had to fly back to Seoul for our flights back to home.

The time I spent in South Korea has certainly gained a permanent place in my memory. This unique experience has contributed me a lot, in my knowledge, in my ways of thinking, in my perception and approach to the patients. But the most important things are the precious friendships and personal bonds that we have created with Korean friends which will last also in the future.

 

Koray Şahin, MD
Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey