2025 Autumn Congress of the Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society: Taking the Pulse of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery

The 33rd Autumn Congress of the Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society (President: Hyun Seok Song) was held on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at the main auditorium of Haeundae Paik Hospital in Busan. This year’s congress was hosted by the Gyeongsang Regional Assembly (President: Chul Hyun Cho) and was successfully conducted with the enthusiastic participation and strong support of its executive members and academic committee.

In preparing the scientific program, careful attention was given to reflect the needs of the audience and the unique objectives of this congress, as these elements are crucial determinants of its success. Accordingly, the Academic Committee of the Gyeongsang Regional Assembly (Chair: Jung Han Kim) devoted several weeks to drafting and refining the program and to inviting appropriate speakers for each session. In particular, given that orthopedic surgeons in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongsang regions have relatively fewer opportunities to attend large-scale academic meetings dedicated to shoulder and elbow surgery, the organizers aimed to deliver a compact yet clinically meaningful one-day program. For this reason, under the theme “Learn Lessons from Cases,” as designated by President Chul Hyun Cho, the program was repeatedly revised to emphasize practical, case-based sessions rather than theory-oriented lectures. The positive feedback received after the meeting regarding the thoughtful program composition reaffirmed that the overall direction of this congress was well aligned with the expectations of its participants.

Reflecting the scarcity of subspecialty meetings in this region, preregistration surged from the early phase, and a total of 227 participants were ultimately registered for this congress. Notably, many residents who had previously stepped away due to ongoing medical policy conflicts returned to attend, offering a reassuring glimpse into the resilience and future promise of the field of shoulder and elbow surgery. At a time when attendance at several regional orthopedic meetings has visibly declined, the strong turnout at this congress served as a reminder of the robust local interest and foundation in this subspecialty. Beyond academic exchange, the welcome reception exceeded expectations in attendance, even to the point of limited seating, underscoring the strong desire for collegial engagement within the society.

A total of 75 invited chairs and speakers from across the country, all with substantial clinical experience and academic insight, contributed to the success of the program. Distinguished international guests included Professor Hyunmin Mike Kim from Las Vegas VA Hospital and the University of Nevada, USA, and Professor Kotaro Yamakado from Kansai Medical University, Japan, who shared valuable perspectives on current international trends in shoulder and elbow surgery. In addition, traveling fellows from the European Shoulder and Elbow Society (Mustafa S. Rashid, University of Manchester; Riccardo Ranieri, Humanitas University) were in attendance, further enriching international exchange.

We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to President Hyun-Seok Song of the Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society for entrusting the Gyeongsang Regional Assembly with full responsibility for hosting this congress and for providing steadfast support throughout the process. We are also deeply grateful to President Cheol-Hyun Cho of the Gyeongsang Regional Assembly, whose exceptional attention to detail and dedication—down to correcting even minor typographical errors—helped bring the congress to a successful completion. Most importantly, we thank all participants for their focused engagement and encouraging feedback, which reminded us that the passion for shoulder and elbow surgery remains strong and vibrant.

Young Bok Kim
Secretary-General, Gyeongsang Regional Assembly
Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society