History of the Korean Continence Society

The Korean Continence Society (KCS) finds its roots to a meeting on February 1991 by a handful of urologists specifically interested in neurogenic bladder and urinary incontinence. Dr. Sang-Yol Mah, Ha-Young Kim, Won-Hee Park and others were the first to realize the need for a society dedicated to the study of voiding dysfunction in Korea. The field of neurourology was in its infant stage in Korea and the first official meeting of KCS (then called The Study Group on Voiding Dysfunction) was held on June 12, 1991. During the general meeting a few months later on November 23, 1991. Dr. Sang-Yol Mah was elected as the first president and Dr. Won-Hee Park as the first director. The society underwent a few name changes thereafter and finally acquired its current name in 1996 leading to the publication of an official journal, Journal of the Korean Continence Society, in 1997. The KCS has since grown to encompass over 300 active members including urologists, gynecologist, and nurses involved in the field of neurourology and urinary incontinence, The society was able to successfully host the 2001 International Continence Society conference in Seoul, Korean and a joint conference with the Japanese Neurogenic Bladder Society is being held every year since 2004. This joint meeting between the two countries has now become the Panpacific Continence Society with the induction of Taiwan and the first meeting will be held in Taiwan on October, 2008.