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About us Introduction

About us

Introduction

History of the Korean Pediatric Society
In 1945, the Joseon Pediatric Society was established. After convening the meeting of promoters on September 15, 1945, the inaugural meeting was held on October 6 that year. Seon-geun Lee was elected as the first president and Yeong-sook Goo as the vice president. In 1956, the organization’s name was changed to Korean Pediatric Society in 1955 The organization’s English name was changed to “the Korean Pediatric Association” in 1966, and then back to “the Korean Pediatric Society” in 1992.
The Korean Pediatric Society (KPS) expanded nationwide, having 12 branches by 1955, and joined the Asian Society for Pediatric Research (ASPR) in 1958 and the International Pediatric Association in 1965. In the following year, with the commencement of exchange and cooperation between the Korean and Japanese pediatric societies, the KPS started to expand internationally. Since then, it has been actively engaged in international exchange and cooperation: e.g., in 1982, for the first time in South Korea, the KPS hosted the 4th Congress of the ASPR in Seoul; in 2011, it donated 1 million yen through the Japan Pediatric Society (JPS) to Japan that had suffered damages due to a great earthquake and tsunami; and in 2012, it hosted the 8th Congress of ASPR (ASPR 2012) in South Korea.
Organizational Changes and Growth of the KPS.
In 1956, the KPS created its logo, and in 1969, it restructured the society by electing an auditor and general directors along with the commencement of the chairperson of the board of directors’ system for a two-year term. In 1970, the KPS acquired the financial resource required for its operation by establishing a lifetime membership fee policy and set up the Han-a Foundation to support the health improvement of children and education and research of pediatricians; the Foundation has been funding academic research and publication. In 2015, the regulations were changed to elect the chairperson of the board of directors through electronic votes.
Research and Education Areas.
After the first publication of “Pediatrics” as the official academic journal of the KPS on January 15, 1958, it was changed to an English international journal in 2010. Since then, it has been published as the official academic journal of the KPS. In 1960, the first pediatrician qualifying examination produced the first pediatrician; since then, a total of 7,447 pediatricians have come through. In 2013, the 1st training of resident trainee staff was conducted, and in 2016, the specialty doctor policy was approved by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.
Public Activities and Government Support Programs.
The KPS enacted the Childhood Vaccination Schedule in 1966 for the first time, and after revising it in 1970, it published the Immunization Records of Children for the first time. Furthermore, the KPS published the Vaccination Guidelines for the first time in 1979 and the 9th edition in 2018, thereby contributing greatly to Korean children’s health and infection prevention. In addition, the KPS has been actively involved in large-scale public health programs of the government: Neonatal Tetanus Elimination Campaign of 1974 (received a contribution award from the Korean Medical Association); declaration of measles elimination and receiving a Presidential Award for the contribution to measles elimination in 2006; commencement of physical examination of infants and children under the age of six in 2007; and participation in the government support program for mandatory immunization costs. In 2017, the vison and mission of the KPS was presented, and in November 2018, special committees (Environmental Health Committee, Future Development Special Committee, Progress Committee, External Cooperation TFT [task force team], and South and North Korean Children’s Health & Medical Treatment Committee) were formed to expand the social contribution programs along with the launch of the new board of directors. In 2019, the KPS hosted a symposium with the subject “environment and pediatric health care” and held a proclamation ceremony for environmental health to announce “the proclamation for safeguarding the health of children and adolescents from harmful environments.”
Furthermore, the KPS has been contributing greatly to the establishment of the national health statistics. After publishing the book for the Growth Standards of Korean Children in 1967, the KPS prepared the growth charts of children and adolescents every ten years by working with the Ministry of Health and Welfare till 2017. In addition, the KPS published a baby food book, “Food for Babies,” in 1976, and “the Korean-type Examination for Infant and Child Development” and “the Normal Test Values for Korean Children” in 1992. The KPS has also ceaselessly contributed to pediatric healthcare improvement by publishing various other publications such as nine volumes of “Clinical Pediatrics” by specialty area between 2002 and 2004, “Doctor’s Guidelines for Health Examination of Infants and Children” in 2007, “Adolescent Nutrition Guidelines for Clinical Doctors” in 2011, and “Clinical Pediatrics” in 2016 and 2018.

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