As 2024 draws to a close, the year seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. Amidst ongoing conflicts between physicians and the government, this year has posed significant challenges for professors. They have been at the forefront of on-call duties and patient care in hospitals and emergency rooms. It is remarkable how they have managed to continue their research and academic activities despite these demands. I have served as the editor-in-chief of Endocrinology and Metabolism (EnM, http://e-enm.org) since my appointment in 2013. Initially, I hesitated to accept the role, thinking the commitment might be overly lengthy. Nevertheless, I have held the position for 12 years and am now preparing to hand this responsibility over to an esteemed colleagues.
It seems like it was just yesterday, around October 2012, when Professor Moo-Il Kang (The Catholic University of Korea), who had just been appointed as the next president of the Korean Endocrine Society (KES), asked me to take over as editor-in-chief of EnM the following year. From 2010 to 2011, I served as an associate editor for the Diabetes & Metabolism Journal, an official journal of the Korean Diabetes Association. During that time, I was involved in transitioning the journal to English one and indexing it in PubMed. Leveraging this experience, I was tasked with initiating the transition of EnM to English. Becoming an editor-in-chief in my 40s was a significant responsibility, yet I embraced the challenge with a commitment to advance the official journal of the KES and to contribute my utmost to the society and the journal I cherished. I am deeply thankful to Professor Kang for entrusting me with this crucial role and for his substantial support. In preparation for the first Seoul International Congress of Endocrinology and Metabolism (SICEM) in the spring of 2013, Professor Kang held several meetings starting in mid-2012 with Professors Young Kee Song (University of Ulsan), Kyong Soo Park (Seoul National University), Ho Yeon Chung (Kyung Hee University), Soon Jib Yoo (The Catholic University of Korea), and Ki Hyun Baek (The Catholic University of Korea). They eagerly discussed strategies to invite numerous international scholars and ensure the success of the first SICEM. They also encouraged me to internationalize the journal as part of these efforts.
Although EnM is now recognized as an outstanding international journal, I recall the challenges faced by previous editors, largely due to a scarcity of manuscript submissions. This was partly because the journal featured both Korean and English content and was not indexed in SCIE or PubMed. Starting in 2013, we undertook daily mailings and held regular meetings to plan new projects, address obstacles, and reinvigorate the journal. I am deeply grateful to the many professors who supported us during this time, and I particularly remember the launch of our first all-English issue in March 2013. To achieve this milestone, we established a robust editorial board and began collaborating with numerous endocrinology professors. We were fortunate to have Professor Eun-Jung Rhee from Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University as a deputy editor and Professors Young Joo Park and Sang Wan Kim from Seoul National University College of Medicine as deputy editors, whose invaluable contributions played a key role. Additionally, we formed a diverse and distinguished editorial board comprising both international scholars and Korean professors across various fields. When we faced a lack of review articles for the inaugural all-English issue, we reached out to Professors Myung-Shik Lee from Yonsei University and Han Seok Choi from Dongguk University, who generously contributed their work. Fortunately, we also received a few original articles, which enabled us to publish the first all-English issue—a moment of immense relief and pride. Following this, we applied for inclusion in PubMed, and to the delight of many KES professors, EnM was listed in both PubMed and PMC in 2013. Publishing in English was essential for sharing Korea’s high-quality research with the international community, and the journal’s PubMed listing marked the beginning of its recognition as an international journal. This achievement was made possible thanks to the guidance and encouragement of Professor Sun Huh from Hallym University, who was then president of the Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. Further efforts led to the journal being listed in Scopus in 2015, ESCI in 2017, and, finally, achieving SCIE listing in 2019, with Medline following the same year. Each milestone brought immense joy and gratitude. While I can now speak of these accomplishments with pride, I often felt a profound sense of responsibility until we achieved SCIE listing during my tenure as editor-in-chief. Professor Kyungjin Kim from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), serving as honorary editor, played a pivotal role in increasing manuscript submissions during 2013 and 2014 by engaging professors in basic science fields, thereby expanding the journal’s foundation. When submissions remained scarce despite the Scopus listing, the EnM Research Award was introduced, thanks to a suggestion from Professors Young-Kee Shong and Tae Yong Kim from the University of Ulsan College of Medicine. This initiative significantly boosted submissions. The unwavering support of many professors was instrumental in EnM’s growth. Professors Eun Jig Lee from Yonsei University, Dong-Sun Kim from Hanyang University, Soon Jib Yoo from the Catholic University of Korea, and Yoon-Sok (Martin) Chung from Ajou University, along with past presidents and directors of general affairs, contributed greatly to the journal’s success. Without their dedication, EnM would not have become the source of pride it is today. I am particularly grateful to Professors Young Joo Park and Sang Wan Kim, Eun-Jung Rhee, and Mee Kyoung Kim (The Catholic University of Korea) for their extensive contributions to editorial meetings, their encouragement of submissions, and their efforts to promote citations and reviews. My deepest thanks also go to deputy editors Professors Han Seok Choi (Dongguk University), Sun Wook Cho (Seoul National University), Jung Hee Kim (Seoul National University); associate editors Professors Ji Cheol Bae (Sungkyunkwan University), Beom-Jun Kim (University of Ulsan), Eun Kyung Lee (National Cancer Center), and A Ram Hong (Chonnam National University); and all other editorial board members for their steadfast support. Above all, I wish to honor the dedicated members of KES. The professors who submitted and reviewed manuscripts under challenging conditions made all of this possible. I am profoundly grateful, though words alone cannot fully express my appreciation.
I was inspired when the president and executive members of the Endocrine Society (ES) recognized EnM as an outstanding journal during the ES-KES leadership meeting at ENDO 2024 in Boston. I fondly recall the delight I shared with Chairperson Jeong Hyun Park, President Yoon-Sok (Martin) Chung of KES, and other esteemed professors. EnM is a gem, crafted through the dedication of numerous professors and members, and it stands as a journal that KES members take pride in. I think that EnM has grown in tandem with the advancing research capabilities of KES members and the high-quality SICEM conferences. As I conclude my tenure as editor-in-chief, I take great pride in the significant and world-leading quality research that has been published. I am confident that many professors will continue to advance EnM in the years to come. Regrettably, due to space limitations, I am unable to name all the professors who have contributed to our success. I extend my best wishes to KES and EnM for continued success in the future. Thank you very much.
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Fig. 1.Photos of editorial activities. (A) A presentation at the Seoul International Congress of Endocrinology and Metabolism (SICEM) & Endocrinology and Metabolism (EnM) 10th anniversary ceremony. (B) A photo in front of the EnM booth at SICEM. (C) A group photo from a workshop held by the Publication, Clinical Practice Guideline, and General Affairs Committees. (D) A group photo after the EnM session at 2024 SICEM.
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