My favorite memory is serving as a moderator at the Surgical Stadium during the 2024 NASS Annual Meeting in Chicago. I had the privilege of guiding a live demonstration of biportal endoscopic interbody fusion and engaging in a dynamic Q&A session with the audience. Seeing the overwhelming attendance and enthusiastic participation from my peers was incredibly rewarding and filled me with a deep sense of pride. The Surgical Stadium is a uniquely immersive educational and communicative platform that only NASS can deliver, and I am profoundly grateful to the Society for providing such an invaluable opportunity.

Without a doubt, the pivotal moment of my career was my first encounter with biportal spine endoscopy. South Korea has been at the global forefront of spine endoscopy development and research. In 2015, I was introduced to biportal spine endoscopy by Dr. Dae-Jung Choi. This invaluable opportunity ignited a passion that has driven my research and clinical practice to this day. I firmly believe that biportal endoscopy will become an indispensable, standard technique in the future of spine care—much like how shoulder and knee arthroscopy have revolutionized and established themselves as essential procedures in the orthopedic field.

The discussion I participated in during the 2024 'Ask The Expert' session, titled 'Deep dive into Endoscopy: What is under-estimated or over-estimated?', had a profound impact on me. I joined the session at the recommendation of Professor Jin-Sung Luke Kim. The preparation process provided me with a valuable opportunity to deeply reflect on my existing knowledge of spine endoscopy. Furthermore, the event served as a major inspiration, prompting me to expand my endoscopic clinical practice into the cervical and thoracic spine regions.

I would tell my younger self: 'Do not confine yourself to your own comfortable world. Be proactive in embracing new fields, and never hesitate to expand the boundaries of your clinical practice.’

I am most proud of two major milestones in my research. The first is our 2017 paper (published as corresponding author), which presented the very first technical note and clinical results on transforaminal decompression using biportal endoscopy. At the time, the interlaminar approach dominated biportal procedures, leaving limitations for patients with foraminal pathology; our dedication to overcoming this challenge finally bore fruit. The second is our 2025 study (also as corresponding author) on biportal endoscopic decompression for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis with stenosis. Reflecting on my 11 years of experience in biportal endoscopy, it was deeply fulfilling to deliver a meaningful, definitive message to my fellow spine surgeons through this publication.