Dear colleagues,
As the president of the Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society, I am honored to offer you my sincerest greetings, as the 2018 New Year (the year of the dog) has dawned, the cold winter is almost over, and we are nearing the time of spring, when everything comes alive again. We can be proud that the Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society has been growing continuously through research activities and various international academic activities for 30 years since its founding in 1987. I attribute this to the promotion of our research and surgical results at home and abroad through the Korean Journal of Spine (KJS), which has been published since 2004.
As the official journal of the KSNS, the KJS was published quarterly from when it was founded until December 2017. As its academic value was gradually recognized, it became a toptier journal in Korea. After it started to be published in English, manuscript submissions from foreign countries increased. Additionally, since many famous foreign spine specialists have served as editors and reviewers for KJS, it grew into a journal with international prestige. I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the Society members for their dedication and contributions to the publication of KJS.
Due to the improved status of our journal and the increasingly international nature of academic activities, we are facing a new era of changes that require proactive measures. As the leading domestic journal for spinal research for 30 years, the KJS faces a time of changes in the development and growth of spinal studies. The KJS has now been integrated into Neurospine, the joint official journal of the Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society, the Neurospinal Society of Japan, and Taiwan Neurosurgical Spine Society, and we anticipate that it will further evolve and transform.
The key words expressing the aims of the new journal are “international” and “consilience.” A new era has come and it is time for changes. Through the inclusion of more diverse research areas and international editors, this new journal will play a leading role in cutting-edge medicine and in the educational system through cooperation with future-oriented academic fields undergoing global expansion.
As the official journal of ASIA SPINE, the Neurospinal Society of Japan, Taiwan Neurosurgical Sine Society, and the Korean Spinal Neurosurgery Society, this founding issue is believed to provide important momentum as we transform into a journal with worldwide prestige. We hereby request the active participation and continuous support of our Japanese, Taiwanese, and Korean members.
Neurospine should lay a stepping stone for the dawn of a new era through the cooperation of all our members. I believe that this is an excellent opportunity to accelerate the growth of Neurospine and to enhance its status throughout the world.
With best wishes for the New Year,
March 2018