“Preface”

In the last century and a half, the field of plastic surgery has developed inevitably due to the development of mechanical innovation and emergence of traumas caused by various accidents. Many wars occurred in recent history have created a demand for treatment for wound healing and thus contributed to the remarkable progress in the field of wounding. During this period, various wound healing principles were established coupled with the development in repositioning and transplantation of multiple tissues such as skin, soft tissue, muscle, tendon, and nerve. This motivation resulted in the development of a new medical field called plastic surgery.

Surviving two world wars in the first half of 20th century, the field of plastic and reconstruction developed rapidly. After the war as people became more affluent, the area of aesthetic surgery emerged consequently. Those who lived in comfortable circumstance became interested in their appearances, and the instinctive desire to pursue beauty led to the enhancement of beauty through surgery.

Today, plastic surgery has divided into the aforementioned two fields. Each has evolved according to its purpose. The field of reconstructive surgery and aesthetic surgery, each turned into a distinct indispensable field and their demand is continuously increasing.
“Period of rapidly changing western medicine around the time of liberation”

In 1945, surgical technique for reconstructive plastic surgery was nonexistent around the time of liberation in Korea. According to doctors who worked in the medical profession at the time, plastic surgeons were unheard of. Nonetheless, Western physicians came to Korea after the liberation and brought change in the medical field by bringing in foreign documents and antibiotics such as Sulfazine and penicillin. People working as missionary doctors domestically that paid particular attention to patients with persistent skin ulcers, skin defects, burns and deformities in face hand wrote written recorded on the use of skin grafts. After the Korean War in 1950, US military and United Nations medical personnel actively participated in taking care of war casualties patients. Out of them, U.S army surgeon Dr. Millard and Dr. Stenstrom from the Swedish Red Cross Hospital in Pusan performed plastic surgeries such as cleft lip surgery and various types of plastic and reconstructive surgery. Unfortunately, those mentioned above foreign doctors stayed in Korea only for a while and were not able to help grow surgery in Korea.

“Early Days of Plastic Surgery in Korea”

As the society gradually found its order after the truce, western artifacts spread throughout the community like a fashion and affected the medical industry greatly. The unlawful act of paraffin injections brought in from Japan was practiced. They were disguised as a new type of procedures to raise the nose and enlarge the breasts and became popular under the name "orthopedic." Even after 60 years, we can encounter people that have complications from so-called paraffin injections. This attests to the fact that people were incredibly ignorant about plastic surgery in that period.

At the time of rapid economic growth after the truce, increased awareness of the plastic surgeon field was brought about by the military surgeons or medical missionaries that came from the West during and after the war. Also, awareness was raised by Korean students that studied overseas and introduced the field to the universities and the like which gradually necessitated the need for plastic surgery in Korea.

“Establishment of Korean Society of Plastic Surgeons”

The early days of plastic surgery began in the mid-1950s. Doctors who have finished studying in Europe and America acquired advance medical knowledge and brought back to the universities and the like. This introduction of new experience gradually increased the need for plastic surgery specialist Korea. Yoo Jae-Deok, who majored in plastic surgeons in the United States in 1961 began performing plastic surgery at the Severance Hospital of Yonsei University in August 1961. This embarks the beginning of plastic surgery education in our universities.
Since 1964, students have begun lectures on plastic surgeons and have started training in plastic surgery, but this has been done within the framework of general surgery.

Since then, plastic surgery has been recognized as an independent specialty in the medical field. Finally, on May 15, 1966, more than 30 specialists which includes surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, otolaryngologists, and ophthalmologists, became the founding members and inaugurated the meeting of the Korean Society of Plastic Surgeons.
The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (KAST) started in a concerted effort to develop plastic surgery into a single academic discipline, drafting and passing the draft regulations, and electing officers (Chairman: Min Kwong Sik; Director: Yoo Jae-Deok)

“Building foundation of Korean Society of Plastic Surgery”

Since the founding of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, efforts have been made to disseminate the basic concepts of plastic surgery through academic meetings and research presentations to promote exchanges between the general public and doctors. The number of members grew year by year and eventually, academic meetings were held in an international level. In 1966, the society joined the Korean Medical Association as a new member, and in 1969, it was approved as a subcommittee of the Korean Medical Association. In 1970, the association of the International Association of Plastic Surgery supported the society as a formal member.

During this period, the society held annual academic conferences every fall (there were 30 academic conferences in total). Ten special lectures were especially dedicated to showcase academic research. The number of members reached from the 30 to 100, and in 1974, the Korean Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery was first published. Meanwhile, the Society has provisionally set up a training course for plastic surgeons. This general surgery training course is now a prerequisite for further more specialized training in plastic surgery.

In October 1973, the government promulgated a revised medical law that added plastic surgery as an official specialty due to the increasing number of patients getting plastic surgery treatment. As a result, the plastic surgery specialist training system was established. In 1974, 20 specialists in the general surgery department were allowed to pursue plastic surgery as a specialty. By 1975, the institute began its training program and instituted a professional qualification examination.

“Growth and Maturity Stage of Plastic Surgery in Korea”

Ten years after 1975, was a maturation period for the Plastic Surgery Society in that it devoted itself to match the academic standards internationally. At the 4th Congress (IPRS) in 1967, a revolutionary surgical method to the cranial deformities was announced. In the early 1970s, the era of microsurgery inaugurated which introduced to a single stage transplantation method of various tissues. In 1977, fat removal plastic surgery was announced. In response to this, we also presented the results of excellent medical practice and academic research through conferences and journals. Since the mid-1970s, reports were made in various areas such as craniofacial surgery, plastic transplantation, and reconstruction of the urethral organs.

In the late 1970s, microvascular surgery using a microscope started at a university hospital. Free grafting of the tissues and re-anastomosis of the amputated hands were performed. In the early 1980s, microsurgery became universally used in the field of reconstruction. On the other hand, the Society recognized the necessity of regional meetings and academic conventions outside the centralized area. In 1978, the Busan Gyeongnam branch was established. In 1979, the Daegu Gyeongbuk branch was created to promote educational development through exchange of knowledge among the regional members.

“Korean Plastic Surgery’s International Leap”

On the 20th anniversary of its foundation, The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (KAST) made a more considerable effort to promote academic activities by adding annual academic conferences, inviting one or two foreign eminent scholars to academic conferences every year which instigated exchange of ideas and added stimulus to its effort in entering into an international stage.

In addition, each trainee has made a lot of efforts to develop subspecialties field through international exchange.
For the 30th anniversary of the Institute (November 1996), the Society held the 41st Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the 18th Annual Conference of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the 14th Korean Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery together held an integrated academic conference.

The Present State of Plastic Surgery in Korea

The Korean Society of Plastic Surgeons celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2016. 1975 marks the year when the first 22 plastic surgeon specialist were inducted after an examination and ever since then plastic surgeons numbers have grown up to 2242 on the eve of the celebration of its 50th anniversary. Since its first publication of the Journal in 1974, the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons made numerous efforts to contribute in a scholarly endeavor which resulted not only in further publications in national journals but international journals also. By the time of its 50th anniversary, a total of 1939 publications were on the Science Citation Index(SCI) journals, which again proves the academic excellence of the Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons at home and abroad.
The Korean Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, which first published seven articles in 1974, changed its name to "Archives of Plastic Surgery" in January 2012. The new system made it possible for anyone in the world to contribute articles, and at the same time facilitated the search of its papers by allowing papers to be searched through databases such as PubMed and SCOPUS. The Archives of Plastic Surgery journal is now one of the best plastic surgeons resources in Asia and is continuing to evolve to become the world's top-ranked journal.