New President Elected and New Board Members Appointed
At the Extraordinary Representative Assembly of the Korean Association of Occupational Therapists held on December 10, 2022, Ms. Jieun Lee was elected as the 13th president of the association. On February 25, 2023, the 30th Representative Assembly of 2023 was held, and two vice presidents and 12 directors appointed by President Lee were approved as the 13th board members. The 13th board members, including President Jieun Lee, will serve for a three-year term from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025.
Korean Society of Occupational Therapists for Mental Health (KSOT-MH) Inaugurated
On January 28, 2023, an inaugural general meeting for the launch of the Korean Society of Occupational Therapists for Mental Health (KSOT-MH) was held. At this meeting, Dr. Sookyung Kim was elected as the first president of the society, and the KSOT-MH was officially approved as an affiliated organization of the KAOT at the 30th Representative Assembly of the KAOT on February 25, 2023. The KSOT-MH was founded as a follow-up measure of the National Assembly’s approval of the ‘Revised Mental Health Act’ which included occupational therapists as ‘Mental health care specialists’ on March 6, 2020. The KSOT-MH will be in charge of policy proposals for the Korean mental health care system and the mental health care professionals, as well as the management of continuing education of occupational therapy specialists for mental health.
Daehyuk Kang, PhD, OTR
WFOT Delegate Korea