Esteemed Members of the Korean Academy of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing,

I would like to extend my warmest greetings to you all. It is both an honor and a privilege to serve as the 27th President of the Korean Academy of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing for the 2026–2027 term. My name is Ji Young Kim, and I am a professor at the College of Nursing, Jeonbuk National University.

Over the past 50 years, thanks to the dedication of our past presidents and executives and the unwavering support of our members, the KPMHN has been a vanguard in the academic and practical advancement of psychiatric nursing in Korea.

Today, our society stands at a critical juncture. We face rapid paradigm shifts driven by the transition into the AI era, alongside demographic challenges such as an ultra-low birth rate, a super-aged society, and the rise of hyper-individualism. Amid this vortex of change, serious mental health issues—including suicide, addiction, depression, and social isolation—have emerged as urgent social priorities. Consequently, the responsibility and role of psychiatric nursing professionals in safeguarding the nation's mental health have never been more vital.

To meet the demands of this era, strengthening our capabilities in research, education, and practice is both urgent and essential. With a deep sense of vocation, I am committed to advancing our body of knowledge and ensuring our Academy plays a pivotal role in promoting national mental health. To this end, I will focus on the following key objectives:

First, we will advance psychiatric nursing knowledge and solidify our journal's international standing.

We will lay the foundation for our current SCOPUS-indexed journal to advance as a world-class publication. By expanding support for English manuscript submissions, we will focus our efforts on securing inclusion in PMC (PubMed Central) and attaining SSCI/SCIE status. Furthermore, we will organize major academic conferences to actively share the latest scholarly insights. We will also expand research funding to stimulate convergence research that incorporates the latest AI technologies, fostering the creation of innovative research outcomes.

Second, we will drive qualitative innovation in psychiatric nursing education to align with evolving practice and educational environments.

To strengthen our faculty's practical competencies, we will implement robust training programs aligned with local communities and clinical settings. Additionally, we will realign educational objectives to prepare for shifting trends in the national licensing examination. By establishing an integrated educational model centered on psychiatric nursing competencies, we will cultivate talented professionals who meet the field's demands.

Third, through solidarity and cooperation with relevant institutions, we will ensure that our professional expertise informs national policy.

We will strengthen cooperative networks with key stakeholders to ensure that KPMHN’s accumulated academic activities, research findings, and field voices are integrated into the development of national mental health policies. In particular, we will revitalize the activities of our special committees on addiction, suicide, disaster, and mental health counseling to propose effective and practical mental health policies.

The Korean Academy of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing is dedicated to actively supporting your research and educational endeavors. Through practical efforts that drive the changes of our time, we will open a new future for psychiatric nursing.

I ask for your continued interest and active participation as we embark on this journey to elevate our Academy to the next level.

Thank you.

January 2026.