EARLY LIFE AND MILITARY SERVICE
Professor Chung, an Emeritus Professor of the Hanyang University School of Medicine, is regarded as one of greatest neurosurgeons in Korea. Born in Gwangju, he graduated in 1949 from Gwangju Medical College, which later transformed into Chonnam National University College of Medicine. After graduation, he joined the Department of Surgery as a teaching assistant.
With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, he enlisted as an Army Surgeon in 1951, serving until 1965. He retired with the rank of colonel, despite being slated for promotion to general. During the war, he was awarded the Hwarang Military Merit Medal (Hwarangmugonghunjang) by the Korean government and the Bronze Star Medal by the U.S. Army for his valor. Notably, during January fourth retreat, he successfully led his medical company (21st Regiment, 8th Army Division) in breaking through a Chinese army siege, evacuating wounded soldiers, including American servicemen, along the way.
In 1953, while serving at the Armed Forces Gwangju Hospital, he married Jong Seon Kim. However, he was soon recalled to duty in a counterinsurgency operation against the Jirisan Partisans, remembered as a chaotic conflict with no clear battle lines. He witnessed firsthand how easily a life can be lost, which ultimately reinforced his resolve to specialize in neurosurgery.
Following the Army’s initiative for medical specialization, he pursued further training through their on-the-job programs. In 1956, under the Army’s sponsorship, he joined the Division of Neurosurgery in the Department of Surgery at Capital Medical College (formerly Seoul Women’s Medical College, later merged with Korea University). There, he trained under Professor Joo Geol Lee as a teaching assistant.
This division was a renowned center where many pioneering neurosurgeons launched their distinguished careers, including Bo Sung Sim (founder of the Department of Neurosurgery at Seoul National University), Hun-Jae Lee (Yonsei University), Jeong-Keun Kim (Korea University), Jin Un Song (Catholic University), Jeong Hyeon Woo (Chonnam National University), Cheol Woo Lee (Kyungbuk National University), and Yoon Bom Kim (Busan National University), to name a few (Fig. 1).
In 1960, he successfully defended his master’s thesis, titled “Statistical Study on the Coefficients of Correlation between the Intracranial Spaces and the Arterial Calibers in the Normal Cerebral Angiograms”, which was supervised by Professor Joo Geol Lee.
Also, he actively sought opportunities to refine his neurosurgical skills. From 1960 to 1961, he worked at the U.S. 8th Army 121 Evacuation Hospital in Yongsan, collaborating with Colonel Hamilton, a board-certified neurosurgeon. To further his studies, he spent 6 months, from July to December 1961, training in neurosurgery at the Letterman Army Navy Air Force General Hospital in San Francisco.
After returning to his army service in 1962, he worked in the Armed Forces Daegu General Hospital as a Chief of Neurosurgery. At the same time, he was affiliated to Department of Neurosurgery, Kyungbuk National University as a clinical assistant professor.
However, his military service required him to serve in the field army. He was reassigned to the 5th Army Corps as a medical adviser, where he was scheduled for promotion to Brigadier General, a step that would have inevitably led him to the role of Army Surgeon General.
At that time, Professor Hun Jae Lee offered him a faculty position at Capital Medical College. Despite his promising military career ahead, he immediately accepted Professor Lee’s offer and retired from the Army without hesitation.
He was highly satisfied with his position as an Assistant Professor at Capital Medical College, despite differing opinions among his family members. In 1966, he successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation titled “Evaluation of Trans-Spinous Vertebral Venography in the Diagnosis of Intraspinal Lesions”, under the guidance of Professor Hun Jae Lee [1]. This marked the beginning of his belief that he could advance spinal surgery better than anyone else.
PIONEERING CONTRIBUTIONS TO SPINAL NEUROSURGERY
In 1966, when Professor Lee moved to Severance Hospital as the successor to Professor Tae Jun Moon, he invited Professor Chung to join him. At Severance Hospital, Professor Chung dedicated himself to spinal surgery, becoming the first specialized spinal neurosurgeon in Korean neurosurgical history. There, he mentored several young residents, guiding them toward careers in spinal surgery. One of his protégés was Professor Young Soo Kim, who later established a spine surgery unit at Yongdong Severance Hospital.
At Severance Hospital, he focused on spine surgery, particularly lumbar and cervical procedures. During this time, he adopted the Cloward technique, which involved trephination of the disc and adjacent bone, followed by the insertion of a bone dowel [2]. Around this time, he recognized that microsurgery would revolutionize his practice. However, obtaining a neurosurgery-dedicated operative microscope system was challenging at that stage.
LEADERSHIP AND LEGACY AT HANYANG UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL
In 1972, he moved to Hanyang University Hospital and established the Department of Neurosurgery as its first Chairman. He built a strong department by recruiting Nam Gyu Kim, Yong Rak Ryu, and his former resident, Hae Dong Jho, as faculty members. Although Jho later moved to Pittsburgh for an additional neurosurgery residency and ultimately decided to remain in the USA—a significant loss for the department—Seok Jeon Oh later joined as faculty, further strengthening the team. Under his leadership, the neurosurgery department at Hanyang University Hospital became renowned for its clinical excellence and high surgical volume (Fig. 2).
INNOVATION AND ADVANCEMENTS IN MINIMALLY INVASIVE SURGERY
He was an early adopter of microsurgery in spine surgery. His first operative microscope was a Nagashima model, which he later replaced with a Zeiss OPMI (Fig. 3). Given that Yasargil and Donaghy had only first published their results on the extraintracranial (EC-IC) arterial bypass (EIAB) in 1967, his early adoption of microsurgery in spinal procedures by the early 1970s was remarkably forward-thinking. This was particularly notable at a time when other leading neurosurgeons were still debating the pros and cons of microsurgery for cerebrovascular and brain tumor surgeries.
Demonstrating his surgical acumen, he played a pivotal role in developing and advancing the concept of minimally invasive spine surgery. He pioneered anterior cervical foraminotomy, an anterolateral approach for cervical spine diseases that targeted only the bony spur, eliminating the need for bone grafting [10]. His pupil, Hae Dong Jho, later refined and contributed to the advancement of this technique.
Additionally, he developed innovative techniques for lumbar interbody fusion. Initially, he employed Cloward’s technique, using an interbody bone dowel. However, he soon recognized that the bone dowel lacked the necessary strength to prevent graft subsidence. To address this issue, he devised an interbody metal support to enhance stability and prevent subsidence [6,7].
In his pursuit of minimally invasive surgery, he was the first to introduce a motorized drill system into neurosurgical practice. He was highly enthusiastic about this technology and even developed various drill burrs himself (Fig. 4). To protect the dura during drilling, he innovatively requested that the cutting burr be milled in half, creating a smooth surface that rested against the dura—similar to the modern matchstick-type burr. Unfortunately, the era he lived in did not favor patenting such groundbreaking innovations.
Furthermore, he pioneered the use of the Cavitron Ultrasonic Surgical Aspirator (CUSA) in Korea [9]. He employed this device not only for soft tissue removal but also for excising bony spurs, demonstrating a foresight that anticipated the development of the ultrasonic bone scalpel [3]. Regrettably, many of his brilliant innovations were never patented, yet they left a lasting impact on the field.
In the 1980s, he developed a keen interest in chemonucleolysis, a truly minimally invasive technique. He actively advocated for its use in treating both lumbar and cervical disc diseases [4,5,8]. Although this approach was considered aggressive even by the standards of his time—since chemonucleolysis for cervical disc disease was rarely practiced—he was always ahead of his peers, steadily advancing toward the principles of modern endoscopic spine surgery. Despite chemonucleolysis falling out of favor due to the risk of fatal anaphylaxis, his unwavering commitment to minimally invasive surgery laid the foundation for his pupils, many of whom have become leaders in endoscopic spine surgery. In recognition of his contributions, he served as President of the International Society for Minimal Intervention in Spinal Surgery (ISMISS) from 2002 for 3 years.
His commitment highlights the contrasting approaches to spine surgery between neurosurgery and orthopedic surgery in Korea. His orthopedic counterpart, Professor Seil Suk, specialized in spinal deformity corrections using pedicle fixation and had less involvement in cervical spine procedures. In contrast, the Korean neurosurgical community, inspired by pioneers like Professor Chung, prioritized minimally invasive techniques, gradually expanding their spine care capabilities.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he expanded his expertise to cerebrovascular surgery. Recognizing the importance of cerebral aneurysm surgery, he visited Professor Sugita at Shinshu University in Matsumoto, Japan, in 1986, spending three months observing his practice (Fig. 5). This was the start of his enduring friendship with Professor Sugita and his successor, Professor Kobayashi.
He actively contributed to the Korean Society for Microsurgery, serving as its president from 1984 to 1985. Additionally, he was a founding member and senior adviser of the Korean Society for Vascular Surgery, holding the advisory role from 1984 to 1993.
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
He consistently emphasized the importance of staying up to date with medical advancements and fostering international relationships. Despite Korea’s economic challenges at the time and the difficulties in obtaining a passport, he made it a priority to attend international conferences and establish direct connections with leading figures in spine surgery, including Professor Cloward, Professor Verbiest, Dr. McCulloch, and Dr. Kambin.
He was the most frequently invited Korean neurosurgeon by the Japanese neurosurgical community and built strong friendships with its leaders, including Professor Sugita, Professor Kobayashi, as well as Professor Ishii, Professor Handa, and his successor, Professor Kikuchi.
He led the Korean Spine Society into the international arena, fostering collaboration and partnerships worldwide (Supplementary Fig. 1). Building on the network of the Korean Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, he served as President of the International Society for Minimal Intervention in Spinal Surgery (ISMISS) from 2002 to 2005 (Supplementary Fig. 2).
ESTABLISHMENT OF KOREAN SPINAL NEUROSURGERY SOCIETY
He was a founding member of the Korean Neurosurgical Society and served as its president in 1978. He took great pride that his neurosurgery board certification number is 3. Known for his meticulous record-keeping, he maintained detailed memoranda, making his recollection of historical events unparalleled. Given this, it was only fitting that he served as the committee chairman for the first official history of the Korean Neurosurgical Society.
In 1987, he founded the Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society, and served as its first president. He was succeeded by Professor Young Soo Kim of Severance Hospital as the second president in 1991.
His lifelong dedication to minimally invasive spine surgery led to the establishment of the Korean Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (KOSMISS, later renamed ISMISS Korea) in 1997, where he served as President Emeritus. In 2015, the society merged with the Korean Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Society (KOMISS).
COMMITMENT TO EDUCATION AND TRAINING
He nurtured many residents and strongly emphasized the pursuit of an academic career. Over the course of his tenure, he trained and mentored 47 residents before retiring from Hanyang University, with more than one-third of them holding or having held academic positions. He inspired his trainees with many didactic sayings, one of which was : ‘The best teacher is one who has enthusiasm for what he teaches and who can demonstrate how he learned.’ Throughout his life, he never let a major neurosurgical journal slip from his hands.
He also served as President of Hanyang University Hospital from 1986 to 1987. In 2004, to nurture future generations in the spine society and honor his contributions, he established the Chung Hwan Yung Academic Achievement Award within the Korean Society of Neurosurgery, which has been presented annually at the Society’s annual meeting since 2009 (Supplementary Fig. 3).
LATER LIFE AND CONTINUING CONTRIBUTIONS
After retiring in 1992, he continued his medical practice at several hospitals, including Central Hospital for Korea Workers’ Compensation & Welfare Service and Incheon Gill Medical Center. In 1999, he established his own practice, Hyehwa Neurosurgery Clinic, where he remained dedicated to patient care until his passing on November 21, 2016, at the age of 89.
His wife, Jong Seon Kim, had passed away 3 years before him. He was survived by two sons and four daughters. His eldest son, Chun Kee, cared for him at home during his final days and was with him in his last moments.
He spearheaded the development of spine surgery as a subspecialty within general neurosurgery in Korea. He firmly established minimally invasive spine surgery as a core component of Korean spinal neurosurgery, laying the foundation for much of the expertise that remains integral to our daily practice today.
His contributions are like the air we breathe—essential yet often taken for granted. While we rely on it every day, we sometimes forget who made it possible and the challenges he faced in pioneering the path. In this regard, we all owe a great debt to Professor Chung.
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