Renowned surgeon Lee Cook-jong appointed as head of military hospital

Lee Cook-jong (right) [Courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense]

Lee Cook-jong, a trauma surgeon and professor at Ajou University Hospital, has been named as the head of a military hospital.

According to the Ministry of National Defense on Wednesday, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik named Lee as the head of the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital, promoting him to the honorary Navy captain on the same day.

Lee is a well-known figure in the field of severe trauma treatment, renowned for saving the Samho Jewelry captain who was wounded with six gunshots during a naval operation to rescue the cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates in January 2011.

Lee is also known for rescuing a North Korean soldier who was shot five times while defecting across the Joint Security Area (JSA) at Panmunjeom in 2017.

Lee has also shown unwavering commitment to advancing the infrastructure of emergency medical services. Most notably, he engaged in introducing emergency medical helicopters and amending the law regulating emergency medical services to establish regional trauma centers nationwide.

Lee was first commissioned as an honorary Navy lieutenant in July 2015, subsequently promoted to honorary Navy lieutenant commander in 2017, and honorary Navy commander in December 2018.

With his experience serving as a Navy recruit in his youth, Lee has participated in various military training exercises, including naval navigation training and search and rescue drills using maritime drones, contributing to the improvement of the military medical system.

Since August 2022, he has been participating as a military advisory official for the defense ministry.

“I will faithfully fulfill my role to contribute to the healthy military life of soldiers dedicated to the nation,” Lee said.

He also expressed determination to actively cooperate with the defense ministry and the Armed Forces Medical Command to improve the military medical system.