The Korean society of Nephrology

Dear members and associate members of the Korean Society of Nephrology,

Asian Pacific Congress of Nephrology (APCN) 2024 was hosted by KSN in Seoul this June and it was a huge success. KSN has now firmly established itself as a globally recognized academic society representing the Asia-Pacific region. This achievement is due to the dedication and efforts of the former Presidents and board members who have led the internationalization of KSN’s annual meeting, as well as the continuous support from our general members. I extend my deepest gratitude to all who have contributed to enhancing the global status of KSN.

Korean health-care system is currently in crisis due to the ongoing medical-government conflict. Many of our medical residents and fellows, who are the future key members of KSN, have resigned and remain resigned to protest against the government’s drastic medical workforce reform plan. This poses a serious threat to the basic foundation of our society as well as the quality of care for patients with kidney diseases. Even the Kidney Health Initiative program, launched in 2023, to promote kidney health among the public, has lost its momentum. We face a very difficult period ahead to rebuild the medical education system and nephrology training program that we once had. However, if we all work together, I am sure that we will overcome this crisis. KSN aims to move forward as an academic society to improve kidney health through education, research and advocacy. To this end, I plan to focus on four major initiatives as follows.

1. Contribute to a healthy society

KSN will strive to contribute to a healthy society. We operate Disaster Response Committee and Social Contribution Committee to proactively respond to various disasters and engage in domestic and international social contribution activities, respectively. Together with the new executive board members, I will continuously promote public awareness programs as well as education on kidney disease prevention and early diagnosis, and develop programs related to public health improvement. In addition, environmental impact of medical care is gaining importance. We will promote “Green Nephrology” and continue exploring environmentally responsible health-care practices to establish sustainable dialysis care.

2. Strengthen commitment to our members and support our research working groups

Our members are the most important assets of KSN and we will take the lead in representing and protecting the interests of our members. We will strengthen public relations and collaborate with government agencies to advocate “Registration Project for End-Stage Kidney Disease”, “Chronic Kidney Disease Management Act”, and legislation of the “Dialysis Center Certification System”. We will also increase financial and administrative support for KSN’s research working groups.

3. Encourage human resource development

The future of our society lies in younger generation of researchers. KSN will actively recruit new and mid-career researchers interested in nephrology research, and support them to participate on the global level by connecting with international academic organizations. I hope to raise dedicated seed grants to fund clinical and research projects for young researchers. Furthermore, we will open our society to researchers from other fields interested in kidney disease to expand number of experts related to kidney disease.

4. Further advance KSN as a professional academic society

Multidisciplinary collaboration is now necessary to properly treat kidney diseases, especially diabetic kidney disease. We will expand partnerships with primary care physicians, cardiologists, endocrinologists, and any other specialty that care for patients with kidney diseases. With the successful hosting of the APCN/KSN 2024, KSN's academic conference is now the representative nephrology conference in Asia-Pacific region. We will continue to collaborate and strengthen the ties with the Asian Pacific Society of Nephrology (APSN), the International Society of Nephrology (ISN), Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) as well as other regional nephrology societies to achieve the role of the leading nephrology society across Asia-Pacific region.

As a nephrologist, KSN has always been my professional home, and I am deeply honored and privileged to serve as KSN President. Working together with KSN members like you, my fellow board directors, and many members who volunteer to serve the society as well as society’s staff, I am confident that we will overcome all the political and financial hardships that we face now and achieve our vision to realize a heathy society and respected KSN. I ask for your active participation in providing valuable opinions and advice for the society.

June 2024
President of the Korean Society of Nephrology
Hyeong-Cheon Park

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