Dear esteemed members of the Korean Diabetes Association,

I am Sung Rae Kim, offering my New Year’s greetings for 2026 as the 14th Chairman of the Korean Diabetes Association.

As we welcome 2026, the Year of the Red Horse, we wish you abundant health and happiness in your homes and workplaces.

Since its founding in 1968, the Korean Diabetes Association has firmly established itself as a leading academic organization in the Republic of Korea, thanks to the dedication and efforts of its former officers and members over more than half a century.

Today, as I assume the important role of the 14th Chairman, I feel a deep sense of responsibility before any sense of honor. The healthcare environment we face today is changing more rapidly than ever, confronting us with challenges that are difficult to predict. In addition, our Association stands on the threshold of a historic milestone: our 60th anniversary in 2028.

Accordingly, this term must be a time to safeguard the Association’s core values amid rapidly changing tides, while securing the “practical competitiveness” and “social leadership” needed to lead the next 60 years.

With the goal of achieving a “great leap forward for the Korean Diabetes Association through innovation and challenge,” we seek to work together with all of you to accomplish the following tasks.

First, even amid a rapidly changing environment, we will become a reliable source of support so that our members can devote themselves fully to research and clinical practice, and we will strive to be an Association that listens attentively to your voices and communicates closely with you at all times. As uncertainty in the healthcare environment grows, the role of our Association becomes ever more critical. To ensure that our members can exercise their full potential without being swayed by external conditions, we will substantially strengthen our research support systems. We will promote interdisciplinary research that integrates cutting-edge technologies such as digital healthcare and artificial intelligence, and we will build an inclusive and innovative academic ecosystem in which all members, from early-career researchers to senior scholars, can achieve academic excellence without exclusion.

Second, we will work to create an environment in which people with diabetes can receive optimal care without discrimination. Diabetes is not a mild condition that can be managed simply with prescriptions; it is a disease that requires social attention beyond medical treatment. Even today, many people in our society suffer from misconceptions and prejudice about diabetes, as well as economic hardships that place them in blind spots of care. Our Association will raise its policy voice so that all people with diabetes, including those in vulnerable groups, can receive equitable treatment without social discrimination and lead healthy lives. By taking the lead in public awareness campaigns and the development of institutional support measures, we will demonstrate “warm leadership” that offers patients genuine hope.

Third, by building on our 60-year legacy, we will complete our leap forward into a “world-class global association.” The 60 years of history and tradition we have built are our greatest assets. On this foundation, we will further strengthen the global standing of our International Congress of Diabetes and Metabolism (ICDM) and our Diabetes and Metabolism Journal (DMJ), leading the global diabetes community beyond Asia. The sweat and effort we invest today will become a solid cornerstone supporting our 60th anniversary two years from now, and the new 60 years that will follow.

Dear esteemed members,

The path we must take is clear. When innovation that does not fear change, challenges that do not settle for the status quo, and sincere dedication to patients and members come together, our Association will rise higher, beyond any crisis.

The 14th executive leadership and I will devote ourselves throughout our term to listening to your voices, embracing the struggles of patients, and ensuring that the Korean Diabetes Association grows into an organization that earns the trust and respect of the public.

We ask for your continued interest and active participation. Thank you.

Chairman, Board of Directors
14th Chairman of Korean Diabetes Association
Sung Rae Kim