The KJH: Sailing over the horizon

On March 31, 2010, the first English issue of the Korean Journal of Hematology (KJH) was published and dispatched to overseas libraries and domestic readers. It was the emotional zenith of my editorial career. At last, the KJH has been reborn as an international journal to fulfill our mission of delivering new and important scientific knowledge and information regarding all aspects of hematology to readers worldwide. In fact, with this important event, KJH has witnessed the dawn of a new epoch. The Korean Society of Hematology (KSH) was founded on June 16, 1958, at a time when our whole country still bore the scars from the Korean War (1950-1953). Incidentally, the American Society of Hematology was born in the same year. And meaningfully, the title of the very first conference was “Anemia in Korea,” a title that reflects the poverty-stricken conditions at the time. Overcome by a “hungry spirit”, Koreans worked very hard recovering from war-inflicted wounds. Students studied night and day, and workers toiled by the sweat of their brow even under poor circumstances. In the medical field, doctors cared for their patients with a passion even with the dearth of medical facilities and instruments. Some ambitious doctors studied abroad in developed countries like the USA and imbibed advanced medical knowledge in preparation for the future. The field of Hematology evolved and grew in Korea through the enthusiasm and frontier spirit of the founding members and senior hematologists who followed in their footsteps. Although still in the “anemic” stage, the first issue of the KJH was successfully published on July 1, 1966 by the KSH. It was indeed the first splendid step of baby KJH. Dr. Byung Hee Lee, a chairman of the KSH at the time, described the overwhelming moment vividly in the Editorial of the first issue: “In publishing this first issue of the Korean Journal of Hematology, I am truly moved to tears by the researcher’s dedication and professionalism. I celebrate and wish that this Journal would not end in the first issue but improve continuously in the future to become a brilliant floodlight in the field of hematology, and I desperately hope that our members and officials give unstinting support and promotion in the years to come.” KJH Vol. 1, No. 1, July 1966.