Korean Society for Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery

Section 1. Name. The name of this corporation is The Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (hereinafter, the Society).

Section 2. Purpose.The purpose of the Society shall be to promote the development of basic and clinical research in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery.

Section 3. Duties. The duties of the Society shall be to improve the quality of care for patients with cardiothoracic diseases by fostering independent cardiothoracic surgeons, educating them on a regular basis, and facilitating their cooperation.

Section 4. Activities. To accomplish its goals, the Society shall undertake the following activities:

1.	Annual meetings including presentations and special lectures.
2.	Publication of The Korean Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and other academic publications.
3.	Relations with national and international academic societies.
4.	Collation and analysis of any data pertaining to the legal aspects of cardiothoracic surgery practice.
5.	Activities in general to facilitate the cooperation of Society members.

Section 5. Headquarters.The headquarters of the Society shall be located in a hospital in Seoul . Branch offices may be located in any city in Korea.

Section 6. Member Classes.There shall be five classes of members: Active, Senior, Honorary, Associate and Special, as follows:

1.	Active Member: To qualify as an Active Member, the candidate must be a physician licensed by the Korean Medical Association and shall have a specialty license in cardiothoracic surgery. Annual membership fees shall be levied for the maintenance of Active Membership.
2.	Senior Member: Active Members automatically advance to the rank of Senior Member at age sixty-five.
3.	Associate Member: Cardiothoracic residents who wish to be Active Members, and who pay an annual registration fee, qualify for this tier of membership.
4.	Honorary Member: Honorary Membership shall be reserved for such distinguished persons deemed worthy of this honor by the Board of Permanent Directors.
5.	Special Member: A Special Member shall be a distinguished person or organization deemed by the Board of Permanent Directors to have contributed significantly to the development of the Society. Special Members shall be levied an annual membership fee and/or shall contribute a suitable donation.

Section 7. Member Privileges. Only Active and Senior Members shall have the privilege of voting or holding office. Associate, Honorary and Special Members shall have the same privileges as Active or Senior Members except for the privileges of voting and of electoral eligibility.

Section 8. Member Duties. Any Active or Associate Member who is delinquent in paying the annual membership fee may lose his or her membership.

Section 9. Membership Termination. The Board of Permanent Directors may exercise a disciplinary punishment (up to and including expulsion) of any Member found to be in breach of his or her duties to the Society, or who is found to be guilty of moral or professional delinquency.



	Section 10. Administrators. The administrators of the Society shall be a President, two Vice Presidents, a Chief Director, several Directors (both permanent and regular), a Secretary, and three Auditors.

	Section 11. The President.The President shall represent the Society, shall preside at the Plenary Meeting, and shall attend any meeting of Permanent Directors.

	Section 12. Vice Presidents.The Vice Presidents shall assist the President in performing all duties pertaining to the office of President. The elder of the two shall, in the absence or inability of the President to serve, take over the office of the President.

	Section 13. The Chief Director. The Chief Director shall perform the general duties of the Society, and shall preside at all Directors' meetings

	Section 14. Auditors. The Auditors shall inspect the financial and fiscal affairs of the Society.

	Section 15. Terms of the Administrators. The terms of the administrators are one year for the President and Vice Presidents, and two years for the Chief Director and the Auditors. The term of any administrator elected to fill the vacancy of an office, however, is the remaining period of the original term.

Section 16. Time and Place. The Plenary Meeting, convened by the President, shall take place once a year. The President shall call an extraordinary plenary meeting in response to the request of more than one-fifth of the regular members, or at the request of the Board of Directors.

Section 17. Quorum. The Plenary Meeting shall commence by the attendees without a quorum, and the resolution to an agenda shall be settled by the agreement of at least half of the attendees.

Section 18. Notification. The Society shall notify all classes of its members no less than fifteen (15) days prior to the Plenary Meeting, and no less than seven (7) days prior to any extraordinary plenary meeting.

Section 19. Chairperson. The President shall preside at the Plenary Meeting without the right to vote, but shall have a casting vote in case of a tie.

Section 20. Agenda. The agenda of the Plenary Meeting shall include, but is not limited to:

1.	Termination of the membership of any member;
2.	An amendment to the Bylaws, or dissolution of the Society;
3.	An approval of financial plans;
4.	Other issues proposed by the Board of Directors.

Section 21. Approval of the Administrators-elect. The President-Elect, the Vice Presidents-Elect, the Chief Director-Elect, the Directors-Elect and the Auditors-Elect, appointed by the executive session of the President, Vice Presidents, Chief Director, and Permanent Directors, shall be approved at the Plenary Meeting.

Section 22. Meeting Records. Matters resolved at the Plenary Meeting shall be recorded, and shall be signed and sealed by the President and at least eight (8) attendees of the meeting.

Section 23. Time and Place of Meetings. The Meeting of Directors, convened by the Chief Director prior to the Plenary Meeting, shall take place once a year. The Chief Director shall call an extraordinary meeting of Directors at the request of more than one-fifth of the Directors. The Chief Director shall notify the Directors no less than ten (10) days prior to the Meeting of Directors, and no less than five (5) days prior to any extraordinary meeting.

Section 24. Board of Permanent Directors. Ten Permanent Directors, appointed by the Chief Director, constitute the Board of Permanent Directors, who shall execute business on behalf of the Directors. The Chief Director shall preside at the Meeting of the Permanent Directors. The eldest of the Permanent Directors shall, in the absence or inability of the Chief Director to serve, take over the office of the Chief Director. Records of the meeting of the Board of Permanent Directors shall be approved by the next Board of Directors.

Section 25. Quorum. More than a half of the Directors shall constitute a quorum of any meeting of Permanent Directors, and resolution shall be made by the agreement of more than half of the attendees.

Section 26. Chairperson. The Chief Director shall preside at any meeting of Permanent Directors without the right to vote, but shall have a casting vote in case of a tie.

Section 27. Agenda. The agenda of any meeting of Permanent Directors shall include, but is not limited to:

1.	Designation of Active, Honorary and Special members;
2.	Amendments to the provisions related to the membership registration / maintenance fee;
3.	Business planning and financial / fiscal planning;
4.	Approval of the accounting;
5.	Constitution of new regulations;
6.	Approval and maintenance of new branch offices;
7.	Acquisition / disposal of the property of the Society;
8.	Appointment of a new director filling a vacancy;
9.	Awarding and punishment of members;
10.	Constitution of a new committee;
11.	Preparation for the Plenary Meeting;
12.	Preparation for the Annual Scientific Meeting and other meetings;
13.	Publication of the Korean Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and other publications;
14.	Facilitation of other scientific activities;
15.	Miscellaneous business for the benefit of the Society.

Section 28. The Secretary. The Chief Director shall appoint the Secretary from among the Directors.

Section 29. Auditors. The Auditors shall attend the Meeting of Directors, without the right to vote.

Section 30. Meeting Records. Matters resolved at the Meeting of Directors shall be recorded, and shall be signed and sealed by the Chief Director and two (2) attendees of the meeting.



	Section 31. Committees. The Society shall set up a Planning and Public Relations Committee, a Treasury Committee, an Academic Affairs Committee, a Board Examination Design Committee, a Legal Affairs Committee, an Editorial Board of the KJTCS, an Education and Research Committee, a Medical Insurance and Government Relations Committee, an International Relations committee and a Website Design and Maintenance Committee. New committees shall be organized as the need arises.

	Section 32. Committee Chairpersons. The chairperson of each committee shall be appointed by the Chief Director. Each committee shall consist of several members, who shall be designated by the Permanent Directors and appointed by the Chief Director. Appointment of the chairperson and members of each committee shall be for a period of one year.

	Section 33. Planning and Public Relations Committee. The duties of the Planning and Public Relations Committee shall be to devise a general plan for the Society and to interact with the public.

	Section 34. Treasury Committee. The duties of the Treasury Committee shall be the fiscal maintenance of the Society.

	Section 35. Academic Affairs Committee. The duties of the Academic Affairs Committee shall be to prepare for scientific meetings, and to promote the other academic activities of the Society.

	Section 36. Board Examination Design Committee. The duties of the Board Examination Design Committee shall be to prepare for and supervise the Board Examination and other examinations which the Society shall be concerned with.

	Section 37. Legal Affairs Committee. The duties of the Legal Affairs Committee shall be to examine any alleged medical malpractice by a member of the Society, to investigate all candidates for membership in the Society, to evaluate the eligibility of all applicants to the Board Examination, to qualify the training programs of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, and to question any member who is found to be guilty of moral or professional delinquency.

	Section 38. Editorial Board of the KJTCS. The duty of the Editorial Board of the KJTCS shall be to publish the KJTCS and any other publications which the Society is involved with.

	Section 39. Education and Research Committee. The duty of the Education and Research Committee shall be to foster the continuing education of Society members through educational programs, seminars, and meetings,

	Section 40. Medical Insurance and Government Relations Committee. The duty of the Medical Insurance and Government Relations Committee shall be to undertake business related to medical insurance and government relations.

	Section 41. International Relations Committee. The duty of the International Relations Committee shall be to undertake any business related to the academic interaction with foreign doctors and organizations and any administrative affairs related thereto.

	Section 42. Website Design and Maintenance Committee. The duty of the Website Design and Maintenance Committee shall be the development and maintenance of the KSTCS website.

	Section 43. Quorum. More than half of the committee members shall constitute a quorum of any committee, and resolutions shall be made by the agreement of more than a half of the attendees.

Section 44. Revenue. The revenue of the Society shall come from the following:

1.	Membership initiation fees and annual dues;
2.	Special contributions and donations;
3.	Revenue from the business of the Society;
4.	Miscellaneous.

Section 45. Liquid Assets. The Society shall deposit its liquid assets in reliable financial agencies.

Section 46. Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Society shall begin on the day of the Plenary Meeting.

Section 47. Settlement of Accounts. The accounts of every fiscal year shall be inspected by the Auditors, and shall be approved at the following Plenary Meeting.

Section 48. Disbursement of Assets. Liquid assets and real estate, which belong to the Society, shall under no circumstances be disbursed to members of the Society.



	Section 49. Amendments. These Bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at any plenary meeting.

	Section 50. Effectuation of the Bylaws. These Bylaws shall take effect from the day of the 1^st Plenary Meeting.

	Section 51. Re-registration of Disqualified Members. For the re-registration of a member disqualified according to Section 9 herein, he or she shall be levied a new registration fee and any delinquent annual dues, and shall be examined for eligibility by the Board of Directors. The payment of the re-registration fee, however, shall be waived if there is good cause.

	Section 52. Annual Dues. Active Members shall begin to pay annual dues from the year of being deemed eligible by the Board Examination.

	Section 53. Amendment of October 30^th, 1971. These amended Bylaws shall take effect from the day of 29^th Plenary Meeting, after being approved therein.

	Section 54. Amendment of November 3^rd, 2003. These amended Bylaws shall take effect from the day of the 35^th Plenary Meeting, after being approved therein.