Dear Members of the Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association,

I am Jong-Woo Choi and I am currently serving as chair of the Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (KCPCA).

In April 2023, CMFS KOREA 2023 was jointly held by the KCPCA, the Korean Society for Simulation Surgery (KSSIS), and the Korean Academic Association of Facial Contouring Surgery. In addition, this year’s CMFS KOREA took place as an international symposium co-hosted together with the American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons (ASMS) for the first time. Regarding the successful completion of this academic meeting, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to you for your genuine interest and active participation in CMFS KOREA 2023.

The Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (KCPCA) historically started as the Korean Association for Cleft Palate and Related Craniofacial Anomalies, which was formed in 1993. As this year marks the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the KCPCA, in preparing the conference program for PRS KOREA 2023, we have tried to include sessions that would give you an opportunity to review the past history, current status, and future directions for development of the KCPCA.

In particular, since it is difficult to plan or pursue future developments adequately without a clear understanding of the past history, we have prepared sessions to carefully review and look back on the history of the KCPCA. In this regard, the scope of cleft palate-craniofacial surgery encompasses a wide range of surgical areas, including congenital craniofacial anomalies, head and neck reconstruction, facial trauma, and cosmetic maxillofacial surgery. Now, each field has been developing through the activities of related academic societies, so we intend to introduce the activities of these academic societies.

In addition, we also plan to have sessions where we may review and consider the recent progress and future prospects of clinical applications of cutting-edge technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution, such as 3D computer simulation, 3D printing, augmented reality, virtual reality, big data, and artificial intelligence, in the field of cleft palate-craniofacial surgery.

I ask for your special interest and active participation in this year’s conference of the KCPCA held in conjunction with PRS KOREA 2023, which is expected to effectively serve its purpose through a synergistic combination of the sagacious wisdom of seniors, mature experience and expertise of middle-aged doctors, and passion and vigor of younger generations.

Jong-Woo Choi, M.D., Ph.D
President of the Korean Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (KCPCA)

Dear Members and Guests,

Now that the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, it is our great pleasure to invite you to attend the 6th Asian Blepharoplasty Forum (ABF) to be held in Seoul on Nov 12, 2023. Our biennial gathering of innovators and blepharoplasty experts from all over the world is designed for surgeons who are enthusiastic about connecting with brilliant minds, learning about ground-breaking advances, and developing a successful practice. Our goal is for you to return home with renewed knowledge, enhanced skills, and ideas for professional growth.

We draw your attention to the following two key highlights of the 6th ABF:

First, this year, six sessions will be presented on the following topics: Practical anatomy, double fold surgery, rejuvenation of the upper and mid-face, secondary blepharoplasty, and blepharoptosis. Specifically, the sessions would include “Live surgeries” covering the manipulation of epicanthoplasty, canthoplasty, lower lid lowering, and non-incisional ptosis surgery.

Second, the forum will offer abundant networking opportunities, allowing you to meet and interact with leading surgeons, friends, and colleagues as well as sponsors and exhibitors at the event and also the Gala party afterward.

We also invite you to take some quality time off to enjoy the spectacular and unique beauty of Seoul.

We look forward to seeing you at this wonderful event.

Best Regards.

Woo Seob Kim, M.D., Ph.D
President of the Asian Blepharoplasty Forum (ABF)

Dear Members of the Korean Plastic Surgery Research Council,

I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to all of you as we gather for another remarkable event. It is with great pleasure that I invite you to join us for our upcoming Academic Forum of the Korean Plastic Surgery Research Council with PRS KOREA 2023, a testament to our dedication and passion for advancing the field of plastic surgery research in Korea.

The Korean Plastic Surgery Research Council has grown from its early days of informal meetings to become an esteemed academic association, officially affiliated with the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This year, as we come together, we commemorate a decade since our first conference in 2007. Over the past 16 years, we have held numerous regular meetings, fostering a culture of research, innovation, and collaboration among our members. Expressing deep gratitude to the members who continue to dedicate their efforts to basic research, even in challenging clinical circumstances, we hope that this conference will serve as a stepping stone for the future.

Thank you for being a valuable part of our association, and I eagerly anticipate the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and experiences during this remarkable event.

Chan Yeong Heo, M.D., Ph.D
President of the Korean Plastic Surgery Research Council

Dear Members of the Korean Academic Association of Facial Trauma Surgeons (KAFTS),

I am very happy to inform you that the 2nd Forum of the Korean Academic Association of Facial Trauma Surgeons will be held in conjunction with PRS Korea 2023, and I am very pleased and honored to invite you to this event.

The KAFTS started from irregular meetings organized and held for years by a group of members who had special interest in the treatment and management of maxillofacial trauma and fractures. In 2014, the KAFTS was finally officially registered as an affiliated academic association with the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons (KSPRS).
This year marks the 10th year since its first conference was held at Chungnam National University Hospital on August 28, 2014, and the KAFTS has held 35 regular meetings during the last 10 years. I think its members’ research presentations and discussions through the KAFTS have so far made significant contributions to Korean surgeons’ excellent clinical expertise and outstanding research capacity in the field of facial trauma.

The KAFTS aims to improve treatment outcomes through case studies, and seeks to explore methods for effective collaborative care for the treatment of traumatic injuries through invited lectures by various guest speakers who are eminent experts on the treatment and management of trauma. In Korea, facial fractures and trauma are mainly treated by plastic surgeons, but there are differences in medical specialties concerned with the treatment of facial trauma between countries around the world. In Europe, facial trauma is treated mainly by oromaxillofacial surgeons. Meanwhile, in the U.S., plastic surgeons, otolaryngologists, and oral surgeons are all specialists who treat patients with facial trauma.
Although Korea’s medical development in the field of aesthetic plastic surgery is widely known globally, the contribution of the field of facial trauma to such development tends to be overlooked. However, we must bear in mind that plastic surgery has its roots in facial reconstructive surgery, as shown by the historical fact that plastic surgery developed from the field of facial reconstructive surgery that René Le Fort and Harold Gillies pioneered with great difficulty 100 years ago.

Furthermore, I am greatly pleased to announce the upcoming publication of a textbook on craniomaxillofacial trauma. This textbook will be published during the period of PRSKOREA 2023, and its publication is thought to add further significance to the 2nd Forum of the KAFTS.
To plan and prepare for the publication of this textbook, we had the first meeting on October 15, 2020, and as a result of several authors’ committed efforts over four years, the first edition of the textbook has been finally completed through seven rounds of proofreading thanks to the dedicated help of the authors. Although this first edition of Craniomaxillofacial Trauma has some unsatisfactory aspects, I believe that we will be able to properly address these problems for continuous efforts in subsequent editions of the book.

I ask for all the members’ active participation and support for the 2nd Forum of the KAFTS held at COEX on November 10 to 12, 2023, and I also request you to celebrate and show interest in the publication of “Craniomaxillofacial Trauma.”

Dong Hee Kang, M.D., Ph.D
President of the Korean Academic Association of Facial Trauma Surgeons

Dear Respected Members of the Korean Academic Association of Botulinum Toxin-Filler-Thread,

I am Jongseo Kim, who is currently serving as the president of Korean Academic Association of Botulinum Toxin-Filler-Thread.

The academic association of Botulinum Toxin-Filler-Thread has been leading research in the fields of botox, dermal fillers, and thread lift procedures, trying to address the latest advances in these areas as well as conventional approaches. In addition, it has been gradually expanding the scope of research and pioneering new areas in plastic surgery, such as tissue responses after filler injection and ultrasound anatomy.

Research on ultrasound anatomy by the academic association of Botulinum Toxin-Filler-Thread has contributed to the improvement of surgical safety regarding fillers procedures performed by plastic surgeons, and the members of the academic association have given numerous lectures on ultrasound anatomy at home and abroad, based on their knowledge and expertise accumulated over a period of more than a decade. The research findings of a previous study in ultrasound anatomy have been published in the Journal of PRSGO, and this prior study received the Best Paper Award.

In particular, the academic association of Botulinum Toxin-Filler-Thread also actively engages in research on dermal fillers made with new materials. Furthermore, the members of the academic association of Botulinum Toxin-Filler-Thread have been reporting major achievements as leading researchers not only in research on hyaluronic acid fillers but also in studies on fillers that induce collagen production, such as Sculptra, Radius, Ellanse, Juberuc, and Ultracol, and have been invited to deliver lectures in many countries across the world. Our research on tissue responses after filler injection has been already receiving global recognition and much attention from plastic surgeons and researchers around the world. In this regard, I think that plastic surgeons performing fillers procedures are essentially required to be familiar with the latest research findings regarding the characteristics and various aspects of tissue responses after filler injection.

While preparing for the 2023 PRS symposium, we have tried to ensure that the 2023 PRS Symposium will cover interesting topics that were not previously addressed, so we ask for your greater interest and active participation.

We promise that we will make efforts to present a symposium with informative and useful sessions covering the latest issues.

Thank you.

Jongseo Kim, M.D., Ph.D
President of the the Korean Academic Association of Botulinum Toxin-Filler-Thread