Code of Ethics of the Korean Endocrine Society

Enacted on June 1, 2017
Amended on November 14, 2023

The rapidly changing social and medical environment, the emergence of new diseases, and advances in medicine necessitate more stringent medical ethics and practices. To this end, the Korean Endocrine Society (KES) has established the Committee of Ethics, which operates independently. KES members must recognize their ethical responsibilities to patients, other health professionals, and themselves. KES has adopted the following principles, which are not legally binding, to define the essential attitudes and behaviors that our members must uphold.

[Ethics of Clinical Practice]

1. KES members shall respect human dignity and human rights and provide appropriate medical services.
2. KES members shall provide fair medical services to all people regardless of gender, religion, nationality, race, or financial status.
3. KES members shall build trust with patients, comply with privacy protection and confidentiality, and respect patients’ dignity and autonomy.
4. KES members shall respect patients’ right to know and provide sufficient information to allow patients to participate in making decisions about the direction of their care.

[Research, academic, and publication ethics]

5. KES members shall conduct research in accordance with the principles stipulated in the Declaration of Helsinki and comply with the requirements of an institutional review board.
6. KES members shall strive to acquire and cultivate new medical knowledge and skills based on medically acknowledged knowledge and skills.
7. KES members shall strive to maintain scientific knowledge, support research, and proactively participate in the activities of KES and affiliated academic organizations.
8. KES members shall comply with the publication ethics regulations of domestic and international academic journals, including Endocrinology and Metabolism.
9. KES members shall transparently disclose and specify any conflicts of interest that may arise, report them in academic, research, and educational presentations, and ensure that they are properly managed and resolved to avoid affecting research results.

[Social ethics]

10. KES members shall maintain professionalism and dignity and not engage in unethical medical practices.
11. KES members shall respect the law and work responsibly to improve the quality of the healthcare environment and public health in the community.
12. KES members shall respect patients, colleagues, and other health professionals, and work together to improve public health based on trust.
13. KES members shall actively pursue opportunities for domestic and international collaboration in the research, prevention, and treatment of endocrine diseases.