Korean Society of Spine Surgery
About the Society

History

The history of the Korean Society of Spine Surgery since its founding in 1984

Timeline

  1. 1984

    • Founding of the Korean Society of Spine Surgery (April 6, at the National Medical Center) — approximately 20 founding members
    • First President Kwang-Yoon Suh / the inaugural General Assembly held together with the 1st Academic Congress
    • 1st Autumn Academic Congress (November 23, Inje Seoul Paik Hospital) — first invitation of an overseas scholar (Osamu Kataoka)

  2. 1985

    • Open call for free papers from members began with the Spring Congress

  3. 1987

    • Society emblem adopted (used 1988–2014)

  4. 1990

    • Number of councillors increased from 9 to 12; membership eligibility changed to board-certified orthopaedic surgeons

  5. 1994

    • Launch of the Journal of Korean Society of Spine Surgery (JKSSS) — Korea's first journal dedicated to the spine

  6. 1995

    • Introduction of the lifetime membership system / spring congresses in provincial cities and autumn congresses in Seoul become established practice

  7. 1996

    • Recognized as an officially affiliated journal of the American journal Spine

  8. 1997

    • Establishment of the Best Paper Award and the Hyangsan Academic Award / Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (MISS) symposium held

  9. 1998

    • Introduction of the Spine Fellowship system / establishment of the Regulations Committee / founding of the Cervical Spine, Lumbar Spine, and Minimally Invasive Spine Treatment research groups

  10. 1999

    • 1st Continuing Education Course held

  11. 2000

    • Journal authorized as an international periodical and published four times a year / joined the Federation of Korean Academic Societies and the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences

  12. 2001

    • Founding of the Spinal Deformity research group

  13. 2004

    • 20th anniversary — publication of the Society's 20-Year History

  14. 2005

    • Formation of the preparatory committee for publishing an English-language journal / addition of the Spinal Cord and Basic Research groups

  15. 2007

    • Launch of the English-language journal Asian Spine Journal (ASJ) / the Korean-language journal selected as a candidate journal for indexing by the Korea Research Foundation

  16. 2008

    • Selected by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences as an outstanding society for academic activities

  17. 2009

    • Establishment of the Spine Osteoporosis research group

  18. 2010

    • ASJ expanded to four issues a year and indexed in PubMed / the Korean-language journal promoted to a registered journal of the National Research Foundation of Korea

  19. 2011

    • 11th Pacific and Asian Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (PASMISS) Congress held in Busan

  20. 2012

    • ASJ selected for the international journal support program of the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST)

  21. 2013

    • Establishment of the Public Relations Committee / founding of the Society's regional chapters / establishment of the Korean American Spine Society Travelling Fellowship

  22. 2014

    • 30th anniversary — publication of the 30-Year History, a new emblem, and the proclamation of a future vision / establishment of the Spine Pain research group / 1st Continuing Education Course for private practitioners held

  23. 2015

    • Establishment of the Future Planning Committee / development of treatment guidelines for neuropathic pain and chronic low back pain

  24. 2016

    • ASJ indexed in Web of Science ESCI / recognized as the official journal of the Taiwan Spine Society and the Korean Spine Tumor Society / web conferences introduced / public campaign on chronic low back pain

  25. 2017

    • Production of lecture and spinal exercise videos posted on the website / complete overhaul of the English-language website / production and distribution of a member handbook

  26. 2018

    • Introduction of the fellowship certification system — training standardized spine specialists

  27. 2019

    • Hosted the APSS-APPOS 2019 international congress / research groups reorganized into research societies / launch of the 'Find a Spine Specialist' service

  28. 2020

    • 1st international congress (KSSS 2020) held — full-scale internationalization / revision of the Society's bylaws

  29. 2021

    • KSSS 2021 international congress held / program subsidizing spine surgery costs for medically underserved populations / 20th PASMISS held

  30. 2023

    • KSSS 2023 international congress / Travelling Fellowship agreements concluded with Japan and Taiwan / participation in SPINEWEEK 2023

  31. 2024

    • 40th anniversary — publication of the 40-Year History of the Korean Society of Spine Surgery / declaration of the four strategic pillars of the future vision (Consolidation, Teaching, Longevity, Standardization)

  32. 2025

    • International Committee established — consolidating channels for international exchange / Korean Geriatric Spine Research Society established as the ninth research society

  33. 2026

    • 43rd executive board inaugurated / Planning Committee established — operations restructured across seven areas: academic events, industry-academia cooperation, external relations, journals, insurance, policy, and membership
    • AI, Robotics and Big Data Convergence Committee, Leading Technology Database and Standardization Committee, and Spine Surgery Health Policy Committee established
    • Official website fully redesigned — academic materials and member services brought together, running in Korean and English
Korean Orthopaedic Association한미약품CGBIO