The 76th Congress of the Korean Surgical Society (KSS) was held in Seoul, Korea, and I was honored to represent the ACS there. I was taken aback by the sheer size of Seoul, the vibrant capital city of South Korea, and home to more than 10 million residents. It hosts the headquarters of industry leaders like Samsung, LG, and Hyundai, and is surrounded by stunning mountainous terrain. The city is adorned with ancient shrines, majestic palaces like Gyeongbokgung and Changdeokgung, and preserved neighborhoods such as Bukchon Hanok Village, where traditional Korean homes offer a glimpse into the past.
The friendliness and hospitality of the Korean surgeons was overwhelming but extremely welcome since despite my best efforts I failed to learn the language. I was honored to give a toast at the Presidential Gala but stuck with English to be coherent!
The Korean Surgical Society was founded in 1947 with the goal of advancing surgical science and promoting national health. It is currently a representative medical academic society with approximately 8,200 members in 16 academic societies and seven research groups. As of 2023, the KSS had approximately 1,200 faculty members across 40 medical schools.
Surgery training commences following a mandatory transitional internship. The KSS closely guides residency training through a dedicated committee. The Integrated Surgical Resident Training System is highly structured, and residents must adhere to the standardized curriculum set by KSS. Currently, the number of residents in training are:
- First-year residents: 178
- Second-year residents: 139
- Third-year residents: 123
In 1960, the KSS implemented the surgical specialist qualification examination system (written and oral examination). After completing residency training, individuals take the KSS certification exam to become board-certified surgeons. Approximately 145 surgeons per year since 2014 have been certified by the KSS.
In addition, since 2019, South Korea has transitioned from a 4-year residency program to a 3-year system, alongside establishing the surgery specialist system for subspecialties.
Fellowship training of at least 2 years is required to qualify for subspecialty certification.
The eight recognized subspecialties are:
- Hepatobiliary surgery
- Colorectal surgery
- Pediatric surgery
- Upper GI surgery
- Breast surgery
- Endocrine surgery
- Vascular surgery
- Emergency/Critical Care/Trauma surgery
Thus, the total training period to become a subspecialist includes 3 years of residency + 2 years of fellowship = 5 years.
On November 6, 2024, South Korea’s Minister of Health and Welfare, Cho Kyu-hong, announced plans to increase the annual enrollment quota by 2,000 students starting in 2025, raising the total to 5,058 students. This initiative, the first notable change in 19 years, aims to address the country’s physician shortage, ensuring an additional 10,000 doctors by 2035. While the government stresses the importance of improving healthcare accessibility, major concerns exist among students and residents regarding education quality and the distribution of medical resources.
2,800 registrants, including 303 residents and medical students, representing 36 countries, attended the 3-day congress. Sessions were primarily in English. Multiple simultaneous tracks covered clinical areas including MIS, vascular, gastric cancer, colorectal, infection, endocrine, oncology, trauma/critical care, bariatric, burns, hernia, transplant and breast surgery. Skill-focused sessions included ultrasound, robotics, and resident education.
Surgical quality was highlighted, including presentations by ACS staff Alaina Matthews on “Nurturing Elite SCRs” and Bruce Hall, MD, FACS, on NSQIP during a Korea-US-Japanese Collaborative Session. Surgical residents were spotlighted during a resident oral session and in many of the 105 posters on display. 26 surgeon videos were also shown over the 3-day Congress, and many of the panel presentations had exceptional imbedded clinical videos. Interestingly, while some surgeons featured their best techniques, others demonstrated major misadventures and how the patient was rescued.
Keynote presentations included the presidential lecture, “The Surgeon’s Life,” by KSS President Dr. Byung Joo Song from Eulji University; the Inje Paik Memorial Lecture, “Xenotransplantation: A Long Journey to Clinical Trial,” by Tatsuo Kawai, MD, FACS, from Harvard; and the Japan Surgical Society Lecture, “Current Issues and Initiatives in the Japanese Surgical Society,” by Japan Surgical Society (JSS) President Akinobu Taketomi, MD, FACS, of Hakkaido University. It was enlightening to learn about efforts the JSS is making to both enlarge and enhance diversity in the Japanese surgical workforce.
In addition, Kyoichi Takaori, MD, PhD, FACS, provided additional insights both at the Congress and in his hometown of Kyoto, Japan. While there are currently only 105 ACS Fellows in the Korea ACS Chapter, my presentation on the international activities of the ACS was well received. During the Q&A session, closer collaboration between the ACS and the KSS was discussed.
A highlight for me was the session on women in surgery. Despite being presented in Korean, I understood virtually all of it through the visuals and the emotions of the panelists! South Korea faces a shortage of surgeons, and at about 9% women are under-represented among practicing surgeons. The women surgeons in attendance were enthusiastic and engaged, and eager to hear about strategies to enter leadership roles in Korean surgery. They have recently formed the Korean Association of Women Surgeons, led by Dr. Ji-Young Sul, a pediatric surgeon at Chungnam National University School of Medicine. I hope they accept my invitation to attend the 2025 ACS Clinical Congress and Association of Women Surgeons Meeting in Chicago next October. Dr. Zisun Kim, a breast surgeon from Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital, and vice director of the KSS General Business Board was incredibly kind and helpful as an interpreter and guide to the Congress and Seoul.
Nancy L. Gantt, MD, FACS
ACS First Vice-President
