Korean Society of Cardiology

What Korean Society of Cardiology does

The Korean Society of Cardiology (KSC, 대한심장학회) is a nonprofit professional medical society founded on April 10, 1957, and headquartered at Lotte Castle President in Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It serves Korean cardiologists, cardiovascular fellows and residents, nurses, medical technicians, and the broader Korean public through a portfolio centered on academic education, research dissemination, and clinical practice standards. The society's core offerings include the Korean Circulation Journal (KCJ), a peer-reviewed publication with electronic submission via Editorial Manager; the semi-annual KSC Scientific Meeting (70th edition scheduled for October 2026 at Grand Walkerhill Seoul); clinical practice guidelines; the Cardiology Research Foundation (심장학연구재단); and two YouTube channels (대한심장TV for the public and 의료인을 위한 심장교육 TV for clinicians).

The KSC operates a multi-channel distribution strategy combining an in-person conference model with digital platforms including its main website (circulation.or.kr), the e-kcj.org journal portal, Naver Blog, Facebook, and Instagram. It anchors an ecosystem of at least eight affiliated Korean subspecialty societies (covering hypertension, heart failure, heart rhythm, cardiovascular intervention, lipid and atherosclerosis, echocardiography, vascular disease, and cardiometabolic syndrome) and maintains international partnerships with the Japanese Circulation Society and the European Society of Cardiology.

The business model is based on recurring membership dues (lifetime and annual options for regular members, associates, fellows, nurses, and technicians), conference registration fees (KRW 70,000-150,000 domestic; USD 70-150 international), and revenue from journal-related activities. A 2016 MOU with the National Health Insurance Service (국민건강보험공단) extends its role into public health policy on cardiovascular disease prevention. Operations are supported by a small secretariat of 11-50 employees.

Name

Korean Society of Cardiology

Legal name

The Korean Society of Cardiology

Website

https://circulation.or.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Society Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAKABAA

General Cardiology (Consultative)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Specialist Medical Practice/Cardiology & Vascular Medicine

SECONDARYHLAGALAM

KOL Engagement & Medical Education (Advisory Boards/CME Support)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Pharmacovigilance & Medical Affairs Services

Keywords

• Cardiology professional society
• Cardiovascular medical conferences
• Peer-reviewed cardiology journal
• Continuing medical education
• Cardiovascular research foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Mapo

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The society collects membership fees including lifetime membership (평생회비) and annual membership fees (연회비). Members include regular members (cardiologists), associate members, and conference members (fellows, nurses, medical technicians).
2. Conference Registration Fees: Revenue generated from academic conference registrations. The 2024 Spring Conference charged KRW 120,000 for professors/practitioners (pre-registration) and KRW 150,000 (onsite), with reduced rates for trainees.
3. International Conference Registration: International conference participation fees in USD: USD 120 for physicians (pre-registration), USD 150 (onsite), with discounted rates for trainees and accompanying persons.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Korean Society of Cardiology (KSC) is a nonprofit professional medical society that supports Korean cardiologists and cardiovascular specialists through membership services, peer-reviewed journal publication (Korean Circulation Journal/KCJ), semi-annual scientific conferences with CME credits, clinical practice guidelines, research funding via the Cardiology Research Foundation, and public cardiovascular health education. It also facilitates international collaboration with sister societies such as the Japanese Circulation Society and European Society of Cardiology.

Product overview

The Korean Society of Cardiology operates as a professional medical society offering a portfolio of products and services centered on cardiovascular education, research dissemination, and professional development. The core offerings include the Korean Circulation Journal (KCJ) as the official peer-reviewed publication, supported by its e-Submission system for manuscript management. The society organizes major academic conferences including the KSC Annual Scientific Meeting (70th edition in 2026), featuring international faculty and research presentations. Supporting products include 대한심장TV (KSC TV) and 의료인을 위한 심장교육 TV YouTube channels for educational content, the 심장학연구재단 (Cardiology Research Foundation) for research support, and 심장학 최신지견 따라잡기 web journal for knowledge dissemination. The society also maintains a members-only portal, newsroom for public health information, and clinical practice guidelines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Korean Circulation Journal (KCJ)

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• National Health Insurance Service (국민건강보험공단)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 February 2016MOU signed for collaboration on public health initiatives related to cardiovascular disease prevention and management.
• Japanese Circulation SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership for knowledge exchange and collaboration in cardiovascular medicine. Joint activities include conference participation and academic collaboration.
• European Society of CardiologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational society partnership providing access to ESC conferences and resources for Korean members. The KSC supports member attendance at ESC 2026.
• Korean Society of Hypertension (대한고혈압학회)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated society under the KSC umbrella, contributing to integrated cardiovascular care research and guidelines.
• Korean Heart Rhythm Society (대한부정맥학회)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated society for cardiac arrhythmia research and education within the KSC network.
• Korean Society of Heart Failure (대한심부전학회)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated society specializing in heart failure research and clinical practice.
• Korean Society of Cardiovascular Intervention (대한심혈관중재학회)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated society focusing on cardiovascular interventional procedures and research.
• Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis (한국지질·동맥경화학회)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated society contributing to lipid research and atherosclerosis prevention guidelines.
• Korean Society of Echocardiography (한국심초음파학회)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated society specializing in echocardiography research and training.
• Korean Society of Vascular Surgery (대한혈관학회)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated society for vascular disease research within the KSC network.
• Cardiometabolic Syndrome Society (심장대사증후군학회)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated society focusing on the intersection of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
• Korean Society of HypertensioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen's heart disease research group under the KSC focusing on gender-specific cardiovascular health.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• European Society of Cardiology: The leading European cardiology professional society, publisher of the European Heart Journal and organizer of the annual ESC Congress. KSC has a mutual strategic alliance with ESC and supports Korean member participation at ESC 2026, making it the most directly comparable international peer.
• American Heart Association: U.S. cardiovascular professional society publishing Circulation and hosting Scientific Sessions; structurally analogous to KSC as a cardiology membership society with peer-reviewed journals, guidelines, and CME-driven conferences.
• American College of Cardiology: U.S.-based cardiology professional society publishing JACC and running the Annual Scientific Session; closely comparable to KSC in mission (specialist society), publishing, and conference-driven member engagement.
• Japanese Circulation Society: Japan's flagship cardiology society, formal partner of KSC; operates the Circulation Journal and the annual JCS congress, making it the closest regional peer by mission, structure, and partnership ties.

Regional players

• Chinese Society of Cardiology: China's national cardiology specialty society under the Chinese Medical Association; analogous in role and scope as the authoritative national cardiology body, but operating in a distinct geography from KSC.
• Korean Diabetes Association: Korean specialty society with a journal, annual congress, and CME programs; analogous in structure to KSC but focused on endocrinology and metabolic disease — directly relevant via KSC's affiliated Cardiometabolic Syndrome Society.

Broad incumbents

• World Heart Federation: Global umbrella organization for cardiac societies and heart foundations; comparable as an aggregator of national cardiology societies and as an influencer of cardiovascular policy at the international level.
• Korean Medical Association: National umbrella body for Korean physicians across all specialties; comparable to KSC as a Korean professional society but operating across all of medicine rather than specializing in cardiology.
• Korean Society of Internal Medicine: Korean parent society of internal medicine that cardiologists historically belong to; comparable as a domestic specialty society with conferences, journals, and CME programs.

Emerging players

• Asian Pacific Society of Cardiology: Regional Asia-Pacific cardiology federation; comparable as a coordinating body for national cardiology societies in the region, with overlapping membership and conference programming with KSC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCiDyclfrDIHe11ve7Gtdw_A/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/circulation.KSC
• Instagraminstagram.com/circulation_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Korean Society of Cardiology