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Report from World Federation of Chiropractic: Advances Made in Korea, China

For more information about the information in this release, please contact Linda Sicoli, World Federation of Chiropractic’s Director of Communications & Meetings, at 416-484-9978 or lsicoli@wfc.org.

Seoul, the vibrant capital of South Korea, was the site of the World Federation of Chiropractic’s Annual Council Meeting from June 4-7. The WFC Council met there to give support to the Korean Chiropractic Association (KCA) which is fighting for legislation to recognize and regulate chiropractic practice in Korea.

Korea’s 120 doctors of chiropractic are opposed not only by the medical profession but also oriental MDs, and still face prosecutions and fines for practicing their profession. Another problem is that many other healers claim to provide chiropractic services after completing short technique courses. Korea and Taiwan are the last two countries in which DCs face daily threat of police action against them.

However real progress is now being made in Korea. The 13 members of the WFC Council, representing all world regions and 90 national member associations:

Met with Congressman Choon-Jin Kim, a dental surgeon by training, who is leading the campaign for chiropractic legislation, and who reported on positive findings for chiropractic in a new government-funded survey of patients released April 30.
Visited Hanseo University just south of Seoul, which has Korea’s first government-approved school of chiropractic, where Council members met with students and faculty and then joined Hanseo University President Dr Kee-Sun Ham for a formal dinner. Hanseo’s chiropractic program is being delivered in partnership with the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic in Connecticut and is partway through the accreditation process.
Met with KCA members and their leaders, including President Dr Taeg Su Choi of Masan City, a graduate of Life University, Dr Joon-Han Song (Palmer) and Dr Nari Hong (RMIT University, Australia), both of Seoul, to plan future strategy.
Met with Dr Martin Kollasch, Director of International Operations, US National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE), one of many guests at the WFC Council meeting. Dr Kollasch reported that Hanseo was now an official testing site for NBCE examinations in Asia.

“We are most grateful to the WFC”, says Dr Choi. “Its delegations to Korea in each of the past 4 years have been extremely helpful to our cause – we have many opponents in Korea, but with our patients and the WFC supporting us we will win in the end.”

Other events associated with the WFC Council meeting were technique seminars for KCA members and Hanseo students by Dr Mark Charrette, sponsored by Foot Levelers, and Dr John Downes, sponsored by Life University, and a meeting of the Asian Pacific Chiropractic Doctors’ Federation, representing WFC member associations in Asia and the Pacific (Australia and New Zealand).

Next, in one of the most significant developments, the WFC organized a special meeting of Chinese chiropractic leaders who voted to form the first Chiropractors’ Association of China (CAC). Leaders at this historic meeting in Seoul on Friday June 6 represented 125 DCs in China. Most practice in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Macau. Chairman of the Committee finalizing bylaws for the CAC, which is already legally registered, is Dr Anli Dong of Beijing, a Sherman College graduate.

Under contract with the World Health Organization the WFC and the new CAC are now preparing a Chinese edition of WHO’s Guidelines on Basic Training and Safety in Chiropractic. These Guidelines may be seen and downloaded at www.wfc.org under Newsroom.

“This WHO document”, says newly elected WFC President Dr Stathis Papadopoulos of Cyprus, “will provide a strong basis for further development of chiropractic education and practice in China since it supports the CCE-based international standard for chiropractic education and defines chiropractic clearly as a separate and distinct profession.”

Formation of the CAC now is vital since the World Health Organization has asked the WFC to host a Symposium on Manual Methods of Health Care as part of a WHO Congress on TM/CAM to be held in Beijing November 7-9, 2008.

“This demonstrates the chiropractic profession’s international leadership in this field of healthcare,” notes WFC Secretary General David Chapman-Smith, “and it is important that there is a strong presence of DCs from China and internationally.” For information on this event visit www.wfc.org/WHOBeijingSymposium.

Many other international advances for chiropractic reported at the WFC meetings included:

In Asia, the completion of first licensing examinations for chiropractors in Thailand.
In the Eastern Mediterranean, attendance of DCs from 10 countries at the WFC leadership meeting and technique seminar co-sponsored by Palmer College and held in Cairo, Egypt in March. The WFC Council Meeting for 2010 will now be held in Qatar or Saudi Arabia to further support the work of the new national chiropractic associations in the region.
In Latin America, new lawsuits against PTs claiming to deliver chiropractic courses and qualifications in Brazil – new lawsuits possible only because of international funding support for the Brazilian Chiropractors Association given by the WFC and its member associations.
In Europe, formation of a Polish Chiropractors Association, new laws for chiropractic in Italy, a new chiropractic school at the University of Zurich in Switzerland starting in October, and a European website for the Straighten Up Program (www.straightenupeurope.org) - now that many European countries are adopting this successful spinal health program initially developed by Dr Ron Kirk of Life University and the WFC Public Health Committee.
In North America, the establishment of chiropractic research chairs in many major universities across Canada through a visionary program of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, and in the US the continued spread of chiropractic services in Veterans Administration and military health care facilities throughout the nation.

In executive elections held during the WFC Council Meeting new WFC officers elected for a 2 year term are Dr Efstathios Papadopoulos, Cyprus, President, Dr Michael Flynn, USA, First Vice-President, Dr Dennis Richards, Australia, Second Vice-President, and Dr Gregory Stewart, Canada, Secretary-Treasurer. Honored for his excellent leadership during the past 2 years was Dr Gerard Clum, USA, now serving on the WFC Executive as Past President.