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This article outlines procedures for monitoring and handling mpox outbreaks in Korea based on the 5th edition of the guidelines for response to mpox and recent briefing material from the Korea Disease Prevention and Control Agency (KDCA). Covering epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and prevention, and focusing on domestic resources, it offers guidance for healthcare professionals on coping with suspected mpox cases.Current Concepts: Human mpox infections mainly occur through person-to-person transmission. Historically, sporadic outbreaks of mpox have taken place, primarily in Africa, but mpox has subsequently spread globally. In Korea, after the first case report in June 2022, 52 cases had been reported as of May 1, 2023. Fifty cases had sexual contact with high-risk persons with mpox infection. Furthermore, 46 cases had not travelled abroad within 3 weeks prior to symptoms/signs onset. Mpox lesions involve the skin, lymph node, and respiratory tract. Confirmation of diagnosis requires laboratory testing, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Treatment is mainly supportive, but antivirals, e.g., tecovirimat, show favorable efficacy. The prognosis is generally favorable, with a 0.13% case fatality rate (116/86,930) from January 1, 2021, to April 10, 2023, worldwide. Prevention involves avoiding contact with suspected cases, practicing good hygiene, and timely reporting.Discussion and Conclusion: Suspected mpox cases should receive accurate information and undergo PCR testing while maintaining privacy. Physicians should report suspected cases to the KDCA. Seeking medical attention and vaccination is crucial for preventing infection in higher-risk groups, including men who have sex with men.
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Several chatbots that utilize large language models now exist. As a particularly well-known example, ChatGPT employs an autoregressive modeling process to generate responses, predicting the next word based on previously derived words. Consequently, instead of deducing a correct answer, it arranges the most frequently appearing words in the learned data in order. Optimized for interactivity and content generation, it presents a smooth and plausible context, regardless of whether the content it presents is true. This report aimed to examine the reliability of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, in diagnosing diseases and treating patients, how to interpret its responses, and directions for future development.Current Concepts: Ten published case reports from Korea were analyzed to evaluate the efficacy of ChatGPT, which was asked to describe the correct diagnosis and treatment. ChatGPT answered 3 cases correctly after being provided with the patient’s symptoms, findings, and medical history. The accuracy rate increased to 7 out of 10 after adding laboratory, pathological, and radiological results. In one case, ChatGPT did not provide appropriate information about suitable treatment, and its response contained inappropriate content in 4 cases. In contrast, ChatGPT recommended appropriate measures in 4 cases.Discussion and Conclusion: ChatGPT’s responses to the 10 case reports could have been better. To utilize ChatGPT efficiently and appropriately, users should possess sufficient knowledge and skills to determine the validity of its responses. AI chatbots based on large language models will progress significantly, but physicians must be vigilant in using these tools in practice.
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In Korea, many editors of medical journal are also publishers; therefore, they need to not only manage peer review, but also understand current trends and policies in journal publishing and editing. This article aims to highlight some of these policies with examples. First, the use of artificial intelligence tools in journal publishing has increased, including for manuscript editing and plagiarism detection. Second, preprint publications, which have not been peer-reviewed, are becoming more common. During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical journals have been more willing to accept preprints to adjust rapidly changing pandemic health issues, leading to a significant increase in their use. Third, open peer review with reviewer comments is becoming more widespread, including the mandatory publication of peer-reviewed manuscripts with comments. Fourth, model text recycling policies provide guidelines for researchers and editors on how to appropriately recycle text, for example, in the background section of the Introduction or the Methods section. Fifth, journals should take into account the recently updated 4th version of the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, released in 2022. This version includes more detailed guidelines on journal websites, peer review processes, advisory boards, and author fees. Finally, it recommends that titles of human studies include country names to clarify the cultural context of the research. Each editor must decide whether to adopt these six policies for their journals. Editor-publishers of society journals are encouraged to familiarize themselves with these policies so that they can implement them in their journals as appropriate.
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Background@#This study aimed to identify the directions of research published in the Korean Journal of Anesthesiology (KJA) and identify the main topics and journal network through a bibliometric analysis. The results can be reflected in strategies for the journal’s promotion to a top-ranking journal in the anesthesiology category. @*Methods@#KJA articles from January 1, 2017 to September 11, 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection on September 11, 2022, and analyzed using Biblioshiny. Journal metrics, the document network, the conceptual structure, and social structures were elucidated. @*Results@#Out of 525 articles, fewer than half (48.6%) were from Korean corresponding authors. The impact factor steeply increased from 2.316 in 2019 to 5.167 in 2021. The Hirsch index of KJA was 24. A co-occurrence network of Keywords Plus showed four clusters of central keywords: surgery, management, anesthesia, and mortality. The conceptual structure map of Keywords Plus showed a main cluster of anesthesia and analgesia, while another minor cluster included intubation and induction. The co-citation network demonstrated that KJA was in the same cluster of anesthesiology journals. The collaboration network of the authors’ countries showed that Korean authors collaborated mainly with researchers in the United States and Canada. @*Conclusions@#These results show KJA’s developmental process of promotion to a top-tier journal in the anesthesiology category. Furthermore, the following strategies are suggested for journal promotion: recruitment of articles on emerging and highly citable topics; and more active collaboration of society members with researchers worldwide.
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Background@#This study analyzed the causes of death in the Korean population in 2020. @*Methods@#Cause-of-death data for 2020 from Statistics Korea were examined based on the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases and Causes of Death, 7th revision and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision. @*Results@#In total, 304,948 deaths occurred, reflecting an increase of 9,838 (3.3%) from 2019. The crude death rate (the number of deaths per 100,000 people) was 593.9, corresponding to an increase of 19.0 (3.3%) from 2019. The 10 leading causes of death, in descending order, were malignant neoplasms, heart diseases, pneumonia, cerebrovascular diseases, intentional self-harm, diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer disease, liver diseases, hypertensive diseases, and sepsis. Cancer accounted for 27.0% of deaths. Within the category of malignant neoplasms, the top 5 leading organs of involvement were the lung, liver, colon, stomach, and pancreas. Sepsis was included in the 10 leading causes of death for the first time. Mortality due to pneumonia decreased to 43.3 (per 100,000 people) from 45.1 in 2019. The number of deaths due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was 950, of which 54.5% were in people aged 80 or older. @*Conclusion@#These changes reflect the continuing increase in deaths due to diseases of old age, including sepsis. The decrease in deaths due to pneumonia may have been due to protective measures against SARS-CoV-2. With the concomitant decrease in fertility, 2020 became the first year in which Korea’s natural total population decreased.
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Background@#There is no national survey on medical school faculty members’ burnout in Korea. This study aimed to investigate burnout levels and explore possible factors related to burnout among faculty members of Korean medical schools. @*Methods@#An anonymous online questionnaire was distributed to 40 Korean medical schools from October 2020 to December 2020. Burnout was measured by a modified and revalidated version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Service Survey. @*Results@#A total of 996 faculty members participated in the survey. Of them, 855 answered the burnout questions, and 829 completed all the questions in the questionnaire. A significant number of faculty members showed a high level of burnout in each sub-dimension: 34% in emotional exhaustion, 66.3% in depersonalization, and 92.4% in reduced personal accomplishment. A total of 31.5% of faculty members revealed a high level of burnout in two sub-dimensions, while 30.5% revealed a high level of burnout in all three sub-dimensions.Woman faculty members or those younger than 40 reported significantly higher emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Long working hours (≥ 80 hours/week) showed the highest reduced personal accomplishment scores (F = 4.023, P = 0.018). The most significant stressor or burnout source was “excessive regulation by the government or university.” The research was the most exasperating task, but the education was the least stressful. @*Conclusion@#This first nationwide study alerts that a significant number of faculty members in Korean medical schools seem to suffer from a high level of burnout. Further studies are necessary for identifying the burnout rate, related factors, and strategies to overcome physician burnout.
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Objective@#This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Pornography Craving Questionnaire (K-PCQ) using classical test theory and item response theory. @*Methods@#The goodness of fit test and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis based on the Rasch model, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and correlation analysis were used to test its reliability and validity. @*Results@#Response data from 226 students were analyzed. According to the goodness of fit test, the outfit mean square value of only one item, Item 11, was greater than 2. The CFA results revealed that all items of the K-PCQ measured a single construct. The EFA results revealed that the K-PCQ had excellent internal reliability. The DIF analysis results showed that the measurement of pornography craving using the K-PCQ did not differ based on gender. The result of Poly-DIMTEST supported the unidimensionality of the K-PCQ. The cut-off value of pornography craving was suggested as a measure of -0.0908 which corresponds to 46 (54.8%) out of a maximum score of 84. @*Conclusion@#The items of the K-PCQ are unidimensional and have good reliability and validity. The K-PCQ will be useful in clinical practice and research as a screening tool for pornography craving.
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Background/Aims@#The present study investigated the relevance and network of institutions, keywords, and authors’ countries of the articles in Clinical Endoscopy published from 2015 to May 2021 based on the Web of Science Core Collection. @*Methods@#The Web of Science Core Collection was searched with the term Clinical Endoscopy as the publication title on July 12, 2021. All 776 citations published from 2015 to May 2021 and 2,964 articles citing those 776 articles were analyzed using Biblioshiny. @*Results@#The corresponding authors were from 73 countries. Document coupling showed that the colorectal cancer-colonoscopyrandomized controlled trial cluster had the most significant impact and highest centrality. There were 442 articles with corresponding authors from Korea (57.0%). The number of collaborative works by Korean authors with the authors of other countries was 33 (7.5%). The articles were cited 2,964 times by corresponding authors from 37 countries. @*Conclusions@#The above results show that Clinical Endoscopy has published several studies on gastrointestinal endoscopy. A large proportion of citations (84.7 %) were from outside Korea, indicating that the journal content is useful for global physicians. Collaborative work between authors from Korea and other countries should be encouraged to promote the journal.
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Objective@#This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Pornography Craving Questionnaire (K-PCQ) using classical test theory and item response theory. @*Methods@#The goodness of fit test and differential item functioning (DIF) analysis based on the Rasch model, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and correlation analysis were used to test its reliability and validity. @*Results@#Response data from 226 students were analyzed. According to the goodness of fit test, the outfit mean square value of only one item, Item 11, was greater than 2. The CFA results revealed that all items of the K-PCQ measured a single construct. The EFA results revealed that the K-PCQ had excellent internal reliability. The DIF analysis results showed that the measurement of pornography craving using the K-PCQ did not differ based on gender. The result of Poly-DIMTEST supported the unidimensionality of the K-PCQ. The cut-off value of pornography craving was suggested as a measure of -0.0908 which corresponds to 46 (54.8%) out of a maximum score of 84. @*Conclusion@#The items of the K-PCQ are unidimensional and have good reliability and validity. The K-PCQ will be useful in clinical practice and research as a screening tool for pornography craving.
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Background/Aims@#The present study investigated the relevance and network of institutions, keywords, and authors’ countries of the articles in Clinical Endoscopy published from 2015 to May 2021 based on the Web of Science Core Collection. @*Methods@#The Web of Science Core Collection was searched with the term Clinical Endoscopy as the publication title on July 12, 2021. All 776 citations published from 2015 to May 2021 and 2,964 articles citing those 776 articles were analyzed using Biblioshiny. @*Results@#The corresponding authors were from 73 countries. Document coupling showed that the colorectal cancer-colonoscopyrandomized controlled trial cluster had the most significant impact and highest centrality. There were 442 articles with corresponding authors from Korea (57.0%). The number of collaborative works by Korean authors with the authors of other countries was 33 (7.5%). The articles were cited 2,964 times by corresponding authors from 37 countries. @*Conclusions@#The above results show that Clinical Endoscopy has published several studies on gastrointestinal endoscopy. A large proportion of citations (84.7 %) were from outside Korea, indicating that the journal content is useful for global physicians. Collaborative work between authors from Korea and other countries should be encouraged to promote the journal.
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This paper examined the concept of ‘authorship,’ the ‘approval of an institutional review board (IRB),’ and the authorship dispute and IRB issues resolution process. Descriptions were based on international guidelines and the literature on research and publication ethics. ‘Authorship’ entails a promise among co-authors, and as such, outsiders should not be involved. Usually, authorship disputes stem from internal researcher conflict, especially in cases involving the ghost author issue. Qualifying as an author is based on the four criteria recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: substantial contributions, drafting the work, final approval, and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work. However, these criteria vary according to the academic category. Furthermore, author taxonomy has been introduced to clarify each author’s role. Author order also entails a promise among co-authors. The IRB may exempt studies on human subjects or human derivatives that are not related to subjects’ safety or do not utilize subjects’ personal information from review or from obtaining informed consent. At the core of medical journals’ research and publication ethics issues, such as authorship and the IRB’s approval, is a commitment to ensuring ‘the safety and privacy of subjects and patients.’ Given the importance of this principle, research and publication ethics issues are due considerable attention.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to clarify the present position of Ultrasonography in the scholarly journal network with a variety of bibliometric indicators. Furthermore, developmental strategies for Ultrasonography to become a top-tier journal are suggested. @*Methods@#The following bibliometric indicators were analyzed: number of citable articles, countries of authors, total cites, impact factor, Hirsch index, authors' countries and source titles of citing articles, and the titles of sources cited by articles in Ultrasonography. @*Results@#The annual number of citable articles was consistently 40 from 2014 to 2019. The number of countries of authors increased to 22 in 2018-2019. The numbers of total cites reached 632 in Web of Science, 595 in Scopus, and 552 in the Crossref metadata in 2019. The estimated 2-year impact factor soared from 2.15 in 2016 to 3.20 in 2019. The Hirsch index was 20 in both Scopus and the Web of Science Core Collection. Authors from 76 countries cited Ultrasonography. The number of source titles of citing articles was 668, and the number of source titles cited by articles in Ultrasonography was 1,246. @*Conclusion@#The above bibliometric results show that Ultrasonography has become a top-tier journal in its field. Ultrasonography furnishes an example of how after changing its language policy to English-only, a local society journal became a highly cited journal in a short period of time. For further development of the journal, adoption of a data-sharing policy is recommended. Furthermore, indexation in MEDLINE should be pursued in the near future.
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Objective@#To assess the appropriate follow-up interval, and rate and timepoint of cancer detection in women with Breast ImagingReporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 3 lesions on screening ultrasonography (US) according to the type of institution. @*Materials and Methods@#A total of 1451 asymptomatic women who had negative or benign findings on screening mammogram,BI-RADS 3 assessment on screening US, and at least 6 months of follow-up were included. The median follow-up interval was30.8 months (range, 6.8–52.9 months). The cancer detection rate, cancer detection timepoint, risk factors, and clinicopathologicalcharacteristics were compared between the screening and tertiary centers. Nominal variables were compared using the chisquareor Fisher’s exact test and continuous variables were compared using the independent t test or Mann-Whitney U test. @*Results@#In 1451 women, 19 cancers (1.3%) were detected; two (0.1%) were diagnosed at 6 months and 17 (1.2%) werediagnosed after 12.3 months. The malignancy rates were both 1.3% in the screening (9 of 699) and tertiary (10 of 752) centers.In the screening center, all nine cancers were invasive cancers and diagnosed after 12.3 months. In the tertiary center, twowere ductal carcinomas in situ and eight were invasive cancers. Two of the invasive cancers were diagnosed at 6 months andthe remaining eight cancers newly developed after 13.1 months. @*Conclusion@#One-year follow-up rather than 6-month follow-up may be suitable for BI-RADS 3 lesions on screening US foundin screening centers. However, more caution is needed regarding similar findings in tertiary centers where 6-month follow-upmay be more appropriate.
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This study aimed to determine the status of common parasitic disease in Korea in 2019. Twelve parasitic diseases were selected: toxocariasis, anisakiasis, paragonimiasis, sparganosis, cysticercosis, toxoplasmosis, clonorchiasis, enterobiasis, trichuriasis, trichomoniasis, cryptosporidiosis, and malaria. Their biology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, symptoms and signs, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis were evaluated. Of the parasitic diseases, toxocariasis was the most prevalent according to serological results. Anisakiasis should be considered when acute gastrointestinal symptoms occur with a recent past history of raw seafood ingestion. Paragonimiasis, sparganosis, and cysticercosis can be diagnosed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; thus, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay needs to be performed for suspected cases. Toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis are opportunistic infections. The symptoms and signs are aggravated under immunocompromised conditions. Although the egg positivity rate of Clonorchis sinensis is higher than that of other intestinal parasitic diseases, encountering patients with complaints of symptoms caused by clonorchiasis is rare because the worm burden is low. Trichomoniasis is usually managed by gynecologists; therefore, it should be included in the differential diagnoses of vaginal diseases. The annual number of malaria cases has decreased, although it remains at approximately 500 cases per year. Malaria should be suspected when symptoms such as intermittent fever, headache, and splenomegaly are noted especially when the patients reside near demilitarized zones. Although the prevalence and number of reported cases of parasitic diseases have decreased in Korea, we should consider parasitic diseases in the list of differential diagnoses.
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Purpose@#Since 2004, the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation has been responsible for the evaluation and accreditation of medical schools in Korea. The 2nd cycle of evaluations was conducted from 2007 to 2011. The present study aimed at testing the goodness of fit of the items used in the 2nd cycle of evaluation and accreditation based on the Rasch model. @*Methods@#Dichotomous data on 40 medical schools were analyzed using Winsteps, a tool based on the Rasch model that includes goodness-of-fit testing. @*Results@#Two of the 109 items had an outfit mean square exceeding 2.0. The other 107 items showed a goodness of fit in the acceptable range for the outfit mean square. All items were in the acceptable range in terms of the infit mean square. Furthermore, 1 school had an outfit mean square exceeding 2.0, while all schools were in the acceptable range for the infit mean square. An outfit mean square value over 2.0 means that an item is a outlier. Therefore, 2 items showed an extreme response relative to the overall response. Meanwhile, the finding of an outfit mean square over 2.0 for 1 school means that it showed extraordinary responses to specific items, despite its excellent overall competency. @*Conclusion@#The goodness of fit of the items used for evaluation and accreditation by the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation should be checked so that they can be revised appropriately. Furthermore, the outlier school should be investigated to determine why it showed such an inappropriate goodness of fit.
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This study aimed to determine the status of common parasitic disease in Korea in 2019. Twelve parasitic diseases were selected: toxocariasis, anisakiasis, paragonimiasis, sparganosis, cysticercosis, toxoplasmosis, clonorchiasis, enterobiasis, trichuriasis, trichomoniasis, cryptosporidiosis, and malaria. Their biology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, symptoms and signs, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis were evaluated. Of the parasitic diseases, toxocariasis was the most prevalent according to serological results. Anisakiasis should be considered when acute gastrointestinal symptoms occur with a recent past history of raw seafood ingestion. Paragonimiasis, sparganosis, and cysticercosis can be diagnosed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; thus, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay needs to be performed for suspected cases. Toxoplasmosis and cryptosporidiosis are opportunistic infections. The symptoms and signs are aggravated under immunocompromised conditions. Although the egg positivity rate of Clonorchis sinensis is higher than that of other intestinal parasitic diseases, encountering patients with complaints of symptoms caused by clonorchiasis is rare because the worm burden is low. Trichomoniasis is usually managed by gynecologists; therefore, it should be included in the differential diagnoses of vaginal diseases. The annual number of malaria cases has decreased, although it remains at approximately 500 cases per year. Malaria should be suspected when symptoms such as intermittent fever, headache, and splenomegaly are noted especially when the patients reside near demilitarized zones. Although the prevalence and number of reported cases of parasitic diseases have decreased in Korea, we should consider parasitic diseases in the list of differential diagnoses.
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Anisakiasis , Biology , Clonorchiasis , Clonorchis sinensis , Cryptosporidiosis , Cysticercosis , Diagnosis , Diagnosis, Differential , Eating , Enterobiasis , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Epidemiology , Fever , Headache , Korea , Malaria , Opportunistic Infections , Ovum , Paragonimiasis , Parasitic Diseases , Prevalence , Prognosis , Republic of Korea , Seafood , Sparganosis , Splenomegaly , Toxocariasis , Toxoplasmosis , Trichuriasis , Vaginal DiseasesABSTRACT
This study aimed to analyze changing trends in child injury deaths from 2006 to 2016 and to provide basic data for initiatives to help prevent child injury deaths through improvements in social systems and education. Specific causes of death were analyzed using micro-data of the death statistics of Korea from 2006 to 2016, which were made available by Statistics Korea. Types and place of death were classified according to the KCD-7 (Korean Standard Classification of Diseases and Causes of Death). The data were compared to those of other Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. Changing trends were presented. The number of child deaths by injury was 270 in 2016. The death rate was 8.1 per 100,000 population in 2006, while it was 3.9 in 2016. The death rate of boys was 1.7 times greater than that of girls. Unintentional injury deaths comprised 72.6% of all child injury deaths in 2016, while intentional injury deaths comprised 27.4%. The first leading cause of unintentional injury deaths in infants (less than 1-year-old) was suffocation, while that of children aged 1 to 14 years was transport accidents. The second leading cause of death in infants was transport accidents, that of children aged 1 to 4 was falling, and that of children aged 5 to 14 was drowning. Pedestrian accidents comprised 43.7% of the transport accidents from 2014 to 2016. To prevent child injury deaths by both unintentional and intentional causes, nation-wide policy measures and more specific interventions according to cause are required.
Subject(s)
Child , Female , Humans , Infant , Accidental Falls , Asphyxia , Cause of Death , Classification , Drowning , Education , Korea , Mortality , Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development , Republic of Korea , Self-Injurious BehaviorABSTRACT
Cysticercosis, a parasitic disease caused by Taenia solium metacestode (TsM), has a major global public health impact in terms of disability-adjusted life years. The parasite preferentially infects subcutaneous tissue, but may invade the central nervous system, resulting in neurocysticercosis (NC). NC is an important neglected tropical disease and an emerging disease in industrialized countries due to immigration from endemic areas. The prevalence of taeniasis in Korea declined from 0.3%–12.7% during the 1970s to below 0.02% since the 2000s. A survey conducted from 1993 to 2006 revealed that the percentage of tested samples with high levels of specific anti-TsM antibody declined from 8.3% to 2.2%, suggesting the continuing occurrence of NC in Korea. Modern imaging modalities have substantially improved the diagnostic accuracy of NC, and recent advances in the molecular biochemical characterization of the TsM cyst fluid proteome also significantly strengthened NC serodiagnosis. Two glycoproteins of 150 and 120 kDa that induce strong antibody responses against sera from patients with active-stage NC have been elucidated. The 150 kDa protein showed hydrophobic-ligand binding activities and might be critically involved in the acquisition of host-derived lipid molecules. Fasciclin and endophilin B1, both of which play roles in the homeostatic functions of TsM, showed fairly high antibody responses against calcified NC cases. NC is now controllable and manageable. Further studies should focus on controlling late-onset intractable seizures and serological diagnosis of NC patients infected with few worms. This article briefly overviews diagnostic approaches and discusses current issues relating to NC serodiagnosis.
Subject(s)
Humans , Antibody Formation , Central Nervous System , Cyst Fluid , Cysticercosis , Developed Countries , Diagnosis , Emigration and Immigration , Glycoproteins , Immunologic Tests , Korea , Neurocysticercosis , Parasites , Parasitic Diseases , Prevalence , Proteome , Public Health , Republic of Korea , Seizures , Serologic Tests , Subcutaneous Tissue , Taenia solium , Taenia , TaeniasisABSTRACT
It aimed to present the definition of personal information based on Korean laws that protect personal information and the process of protection of personal information in journal publishing based on the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and Committee of Publication Ethics. Two Korean laws relate to the protection of personal information in human subject research: the Personal Information Protection Act and the Bioethics and Safety Act. These laws were enacted to prevent the unauthorized use of Koreans’ personal information including medical information. Personal information can be divided into personally identifiable information including resident registration numbers and sensitive information including health information. To protect personal information in journal publishing, institutional review board (IRB) approval and obtaining informed consent from patients is recommended or mandatory in clinical studies. However, retrospective chart reviews may be exempted from IRB approval, while obtaining informed consent is recommended for all case reports. Journal policies may vary with regard to whether a copy of the informed consent form is collected from authors, since the Committee of Publication Ethics guideline does not specifically recommend collecting it. In discussions of adopting clinical data-sharing policies, transfer of data including nonidentifiable personal information to another country is an unresolved issue. Furthermore, a public data repository site should be established in Korea for data to be deposited. To protect subjects’ privacy and to prevent legal issues potentially arising from privacy concerns, editors and publishers should do their best to publish articles with appropriate oversight on subjects’ personal information.