From left, Medtronic Korea Vice President and Managing Director Yoo Seung-rok, Asan Medical Center President Park Seung-il and Mike Marinaro, Executive Vice President and President of Medtronic’s Medical Surgical Portfolio, pose after signing a strategic partnership on robotic surgery. (Courtesy of Medtronic Korea)
Medtronic and Asan Medical Center (AMC) have signed a strategic partnership to expand clinical research, training and technology development around Medtronic’s Hugo robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system, Medtronic Korea said Wednesday.
The agreement, signed May 6, gives Medtronic a major Korean hospital partner as it seeks to broaden use of Hugo, its modular robotic surgery platform, in Asia and other global markets.
Hugo was approved in Korea in 2024 for laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures, including radical prostatectomy (RP) and cholecystectomy, and was used in its first commercial procedure in Korea in 2025, according to Medtronic Korea.
The system received U.S. FDA clearance for urologic surgery in December 2025. Cleveland Clinic performed the first U.S. commercial Hugo-assisted robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) in February 2026.
Hugo uses an open console and modular robotic arms designed to let surgical teams communicate in real time and position the arms around a patient’s anatomy and procedure needs.
Outside the U.S., Medtronic said the system has been used in urology, gynecology and general surgery across more than 30 countries.
Kim Ji-hye
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