August 17, 2010 at 7:22 AM by cdisc

Korea and the K3C

July was a vacation month for some, but for CDISC there was a great deal of activity in Asia, solidifying our base there through the hard work of many CDISC leaders and volunteers in Korea, China, Japan and neighboring countries. The Korean CDISC Coordinating Committee (K3C) was inaugurated and hosted a CDISC Opening Symposium; the CDISC China Advisory Committee was initiated; and the Japan CDISC Coordinating Committee (J3C) hosted their sixth annual CDISC Interchange.

The K3C Symposium

The K3C

Pierre-Yves Lastic, six-year Director on the CDISC Board and current leader of the European CDISC Coordinating Committee (E3C), accompanied me on a 2-week trip to this wonderful area of our globe. We arrived in Seoul in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, 11 July (me from the U.S. via Tokyo at around midnight and Pierre-Yves from Paris early at around 6 a.m.). Dr. Sukil Kim (K3C leader) had the day’s schedule all planned out. We don’t usually get to mix culture into our business trips, but since we arrived on a Sunday, we were afforded the opportunity. We started with an overview of the city by bus and then made a very special visit to Seoul’s Secret Garden (Dr. Kim had kindly pre-arranged for a guided tour in English). We then experienced a wonderful Korean lunch of spicy noodles followed by red beans over crushed ice, which was a perfect dessert for the hot day. After more sightseeing (and a rest for Dr. Lastic), we shared a lovely evening with K3C members.

KFDA

Monday, 12 July 2010, was a landmark day, which began with a visit with leaders of the Korean FDA (KFDA) to discuss potential value of CDISC to streamline clinical research in Korea.

The inaugural K3C Opening Symposium took place that afternoon at the Catholic University and Medical Center. The K3C did a fantastic job of signage and organization. There were handmade rose corsages for the speakers, and a formal signing of the K3C charter took place. Audience questions were excellent and encouraged further discussion after the event and into the evening. CDISC Sponsors helped make this event possible and a hosted dinner featured roast duck with a luscious stuffing.

Opening Symposium Dinner