Greetings from the president

Joo Han Oh, President, The Korean Shoulder Elbow Society

I would like to express my best regards to make sure that everyone is doing well during the unprecedented worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. It is my most sincere hope that these repetitive outbreaks come to an end as soon as possible, so that the day will come when we may come face-to-face, shake hands, and once again affirm our friendship.

Currently, overall cases of COVID-19 in Korea has been kept relatively stable through K-preventative measures, but it is still a worrisome situation as confirmed cases are steadily on the rise due to the influx of domestic and overseas entrants. Foreign nationals are allowed to enter the country after 2 weeks of self-quarantine and diagnostic tests, but there are no restrictions on entry. We look forward to the day when vaccines and treatments being studied in various countries currently in phase 3 clinical trials with excellent prevention rates being reported become widely available as soon as possible.

Founded in 1993, the Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society (KSES) has solidified its foundation through the growth period of 10 years since its establishment and developed by knocking on the door of the world through creative thesis and academic researches. We successfully hosted the 13th International Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ICSES) in 2016, and since then, we have devoted ourselves to the development of education and research under the motto of “Youth and Passion”, making efforts for the globalization and internationalization of our society. As a part of internationalization, KSES created this KSES News Letter to organize various activities of KSES and share them with colleagues around the world, despite the limitation of travel between countries due to COVID-19. In the future, we plan to deliver various KSES activities and news about twice a year, and this seems to be a measure that fits the “new normal post-COVID-19”.

In 2020, we canceled the first annual international congress in the history of the Society in March due to COVID-19. Korean was selected as the invited country of the year for the Turkish Congress of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery scheduled for April, and many members were expected to attend. However, it has been postponed to May 2021 due to COVID-19 as well. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) annual meeting was also selected Korea as a guest nation, but due to COVID-19, it was held as an online conference, and 10 of Korean members, including myself, attended and gave several talks in the virtual meeting. At the Japan Shoulder Society (JSS) conference, members of KSES attended each year to give presentations and lectures to the president, but this year, 35 KSES members made online presentations, striving to maintain friendship according to the trend of the new normal. Other domestic academic and training courses were successfully conducted 100% online way, and about 300 members participated. In addition, in line with the new norms, through various online webinars, we are making efforts to continue various academic activities, although insufficient.

The Annual International Congress of KSES that could not be held this year are scheduled to be held in Seoul, Korea from March 26th to 27th, 2021. This time, we are preparing for both online and offline participation. We wish to present and discuss research and other issues of interest, so we ask for your participation and interest of our friends from abroad.

This year, for the first time, a domestic Traveling Fellowship (TF) system was established to allow members to have training opportunities with famous domestic doctors. At the beginning of the year, the first traveling fellowship was completed with the desired achievements. In addition, we agreed to convert the TF training with the ASES into a reciprocating traveling fellowship between ASES and Korea, China, and Japanese societies. We are very much looking forward to the new fellowship as well as previous TF system of SECEC-Asia (Korean and Japan) and KSES-JSS.

CiSE (Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow), the official journal of our society, is scheduled to be listed on the PMC database soon, and the KSES English homepage is also being reorganized, so we are planning to participate in the internationalization of the society. At the same time, as part of a preemptive measure related to New Normal, we are trying to prepare for a new environment by building a platform linked to Youtube and Zoom.
Lastly, it is my understanding that most of us were unable to attend foreign conferences or visit for pleasure due to COVID-19. So, along with KSES News Letter, I am attaching a Youtube link of 'Feel the Rhythm of Korea' video. Although it may be an online experience, please enjoy the beauty of Korea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P1CnWI62Ik

We send you the warmest holiday greetings and we wish your health in the remaining 2020 and a healthier new year in 2021.

Thank you.