Frequently Asked Questions:
Seomyeon L Urology Busan

As of January 2025, yes. PROCEPT BioRobotics Aquablation certification requires formal facility certification (OR standards) and surgeon-specific proctored training. Certification cannot be self-declared. To verify: contact PROCEPT BioRobotics at procept.com/training and ask for the Korean certified facility list. Seomyeon L Urology (busanurologyclinic.com) is the only entry in Busan.

It is a question of ejaculation preservation. Aquablation preserves ejaculation in 92% of patients (WATER trial, European Urology 2019) — compared to ~80% for UroLift and ~35% for TURP. Mechanistically, TURP uses electrical current that thermally damages ejaculatory ducts; Aquablation uses a waterjet at body temperature with no thermal injury. For a patient who is sexually active and considers ejaculation important, Aquablation delivers equivalent symptom relief with a significantly lower risk of permanent ejaculatory change. For patients who are not sexually active or who have already completed their family, TURP remains appropriate and costs less.

Yes. Aquablation is approved for prostate volumes of 30–150mL. A 110mL prostate is within range. This is a significant clinical advantage over UroLift and Rezum, which are not indicated for prostates over 80mL. Large-prostate Aquablation outcomes were studied specifically in the WATER II trial (prostates 80–150mL) — 87.5% surgical success, 89% ejaculation preserved at 2 years. Send your TRUS volume and Dr. Kim will confirm candidacy within 24 hours.

Short-haul flights (<4 hours) are cleared at day 5–7 after individual video assessment by Dr. Kim. Long-haul flights (8+ hours) are cleared at day 12–14. These timelines depend on: catheter removal timeline (average 1 day), absence of significant haematuria, and voiding pattern returning toward baseline. We issue a written flight clearance document at the video check-in for travel insurance and airline medical queries.

It is not common — it was a deliberate choice. Most Korean urology clinics are in street-level or low-floor medical buildings with shared lobbies. Seomyeon L Urology chose Busan Lotte Hotel 14F specifically for patient privacy: patients look and move exactly like hotel guests, take the hotel elevator, and arrive at a clinic floor with no public-facing reception visible from a corridor. For men seeking treatment for conditions that carry social stigma — ED, PE, circumcision, prostate issues — the reduction in ambient exposure is clinically meaningful. It results in earlier consultation and better outcomes.

Yes, and many foreign patients do. Busan Lotte Hotel is 14 floors below the clinic. For wound checks or reassurance during your recovery stay, the elevator takes you to Dr. Kim's clinic in under 2 minutes. Hotel room service, hotel pharmacy (basement), and hotel concierge assistance are available during your recovery. Mention Seomyeon L Urology when booking for corporate rate availability. We can provide a booking reference number on request.

Seomyeon L Urology occupies the full 14th floor. There are no other clinics or medical offices on that floor. When you exit the elevator, you are in the Seomyeon L reception area. Other hotel guests do not pass through this space. The consultation rooms and procedure suite are entirely within the clinic footprint.

Yes — the 20-minute pre-travel video consultation with Dr. Kim directly involves no fee and no commitment to proceed. The consultation exists because a badly-planned medical trip wastes everyone's time. Dr. Kim uses it to confirm whether Korea and the specific procedure are the right choice for your situation — and will say so directly if they are not.

USD (bank transfer), EUR (bank transfer), KRW (Korean bank transfer or cash), and selected cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, USDT — confirm at time of booking). Payment is made before the procedure, not after. For bank transfers, payment reference instructions are provided in the booking confirmation email. Credit card payments in KRW can be arranged for local transactions at checkout.

Dr. Kim performs all surgical procedures on foreign patients personally. Seomyeon L Urology is not a teaching hospital and does not have residents or fellows assisting in the OR. For Aquablation specifically: PROCEPT certification is surgeon-specific — only Dr. Kim, who holds the PROCEPT certification, performs the AQUABEAM procedure. The certification cannot be delegated.

No. Korea's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) prohibits sharing patient health data with any third party — including immigration authorities, insurers, or family members — without explicit written patient consent. The only exception is a direct court order with PIPA compliance. KHIDI registration (M-2025-06-03-00412) requires PIPA compliance. Your results exist at Seomyeon L Urology and nowhere else unless you specifically request them to be shared or a Korean court orders disclosure (which has not happened in the clinic's 9-year history).

Use these four verification steps: (1) KHIDI registration — verify any clinic's registration number at medicalkorea.khidi.or.kr. Unregistered clinics are illegal for foreign patients. (2) KUA board certification — verify the treating doctor's certification at kurology.or.kr. (3) Procedure-specific certification — for Aquablation, verify PROCEPT certification directly with PROCEPT BioRobotics. No other Busan clinic is PROCEPT-certified as of January 2025. (4) Language capability — call the clinic as an English-speaking patient. Ask to speak with the treating doctor in English directly. The quality of that interaction tells you a great deal. We also publish a 12-factor comparison of 5 Busan clinics on our comparison page.