I am profoundly honored and privileged to serve as the chairman of the Korean Society of Gastroenterology, an institution renowned as one of Korea's most distinguished medical organizations. At the outset, I wish to convey my deepest gratitude to the esteemed former chairmen, presidents, and dedicated members of the Society, whose unwavering dedication and visionary leadership have been instrumental in its remarkable progress and lasting legacy.

Since its foundation in 1961, the Korean Society of Gastroenterology has led spearheaded the advancement of gastroenterology in Korea, establishing itself as a preeminent academic authority in the field. Over the decades, the Society has played a defining role in shaping the discipline, driving forward agendas, and advancing innovation through groundbreaking research and scholarly contributions. Today, it stands as a beacon of progress within Korea’s medical community while also carving its place on the global stage as a respected member among the world’s foremost gastroenterology societies.

As I embark on this term of service, my foremost commitment is to uphold and further the Society’s esteemed mission. Central to this endeavor will be fostering a spirit of collaboration and mutual growth through open, inclusive, and collaborative leadership. In addressing the complexities of an ever-evolving medical landscape, we aim to build enduring alliances with medical institutions and specialized organizations to ensure that our strategies are both comprehensive and forward-looking.

Equally imperative is fortifying the Society’s role as a cornerstone of gastroenterology, not only within Korea but on the international stage. By uniting the efforts of affiliated societies, we aspire to craft cohesive and integrated approaches to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. These endeavors will focus on safeguarding professional interests and advancing the contributions of our dedicated practitioners and researchers, who form the backbone of progress in this field.

Furthermore, I am deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of scholars and clinicians who will carry forward the values and aspirations of this Society. Through our academic initiatives and continuous investment in knowledge, we seek to illuminate the path for future advancements in gastroenterology and sustain the legacy of excellence we hold dear.

In this journey, I humbly invite your steadfast support and encouragement. Together, I am confident we can elevate the Korean Society of Gastroenterology to even greater heights, ensuring that it continues to serve as a pillar of innovation and leadership within the global medical community.

Allow me to extend my heartfelt gratitude once more for this opportunity to contribute to the Society’s bright future. May all members be blessed with health, success, and fulfillment as we move forward together in this new chapter of progress and achievement.

Thank you very much.

Kyung Mo Kim
Chairman of the Korean Society of Gastroenterology

Since it was established in 1961, the Korean Society of Gastroenterology (KSG) has played a major role in the field of gastroenterology and has developed to become a representative society in this medical field. It has played a central role in the development of gastroenterology in Korea for several decades, and has presented relevant agendas and new directions for the future in the field of gastroenterology through timely and innovative research activities and knowledge creation.

I feel greatly honored and pleased to have the opportunity to serve as the president of the KSG, which has over 60 years of history and a respected tradition. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to former presidents and chairmen for their excellent leadership and to all the members of the KSG for their dedicated efforts for the development of the KSG, and at the same time, I feel a great sense of responsibility regarding my duties as the president. I promise to do my best to contribute to the continuous progress and development of the KSG and meet the expectations of our members.

Through continuous development over more than 60 years, the KSG has become an internationally recognized society with an equal status to that of the world's leading gastroenterology societies. We hold regular academic meetings to exchange knowledge and information among members, and publish an academic journal to introduce the latest research findings so as to further enhance the academic influence and status of the KSG. Recently, we have been facing rapidly changing social and medical environments due to various social situations. In particular, inevitable events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered extensive changes in almost all the areas of our life, and we are moving toward a new era characterized by unpredictability as a result of the development of new technologies such as artificial intelligence. However, it is often said that a crisis may be turned into a new opportunity, and I think that if we adapt appropriately to the new era that requires significant innovative changes, we will be able to create opportunities to take a step forward. I will do my best to prepare for these future changes and prepare for an innovative future for the KSG.

I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about several projects I plan to carry out with you during this term.

First, we will build cooperative leadership through an open cooperation model. The future medical system will evolve into a more complex and diverse form, requiring the multidisciplinary cooperation of experts in various fields. I will not limit our partners to medical institutions and specific organizations, but will try to create various collaborations through communication with various professional organizations from diverse areas in the KSG. In addition, we will actively participate in the field of medical policies to present relevant agendas and propose reasonable medical policies, and will continuously strive to improve the National Health Insurance System that we encounter at the forefront of medical treatment so that the system will adequately reflect our current medical conditions. Through these activities, we will make efforts so that the KSG will become an authentic leader that presents new future directions for the medical community.

Second, we will strive to fulfill our responsibilities and tasks as a representative society in the field of gastroenterology. With the explosive growth of medical knowledge, subspecialty societies of gastroenterology have been established and developed to strengthen professional expertise in each area, but this situation may make it difficult to respond effectively to problems that require multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary collaborations among various specialties and subspecialties. Therefore, we will strengthen our central role so that eight societies related to digestive diseases can be united for common interests, and we will try to explore and find integrated strategies and solutions for major current issues in order to promote the rights and interests of physicians in the field of gastroenterology and to present a common vision.

Third, we will make continuous efforts so that the KSG will evolve to become a society better equipped to cope with future changes in medicine and will play a leading role in healthcare services in the future. In order to proactively respond to the rapidly changing medical environment due to the rapid development of emerging technologies, we will set up a future planning committee to present and implement the future visions and core values of the KSG. Above all, we will try to identify the potential needs of our members in advance and actively reflect them in the activities of the KSG so that the KSG will become a society that creates and presents new future standards.

Lastly, through these initiatives, we will strive to disseminate the core values of the KSG to our future generations and make continuous endeavors for the future development of gastroenterology. We ask for our members' continued interest and generous support so that we can implement all of these plans. Together with the officers of the KSG, I will do my best to ensure that the KSG will continue to properly fulfill its role as a major reputable society in the field of medicine.

I would like to express my sincerest thanks to all the members once again for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the continuous development of the KSG in this new era, and I wish all of you good health, happiness and success in your new endeavors.

Thank you very much.

Joo-Sung Kim
President of the Korean Society of Gastroenterology