On behalf of the leadership and members of the American Thoracic Society I want to congratulation the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of your organization’s founding.

The challenges facing your Academy and the ATS are both profound and overwhelming. Tuberculosis is on the rise again worldwide at a time when there are few new drugs to treat this disease and when the disease itself is becoming more complex and difficult to treat. COPD soon will rank as the third leading cause of mortality worldwide affecting more and more people. Asthma remains a major problem in both the developed and developing worlds.

The Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases has made substantial contributions over the past 60 years in understanding the basic causes and epidemiology of respiratory-related diseases, and in finding new treatments for these conditions. We congratulate and celebrate your many achievements and look forward to continuing excellent relations and cooperation between our two great organizations.

We hope that your upcoming conference in November is most successful, and that you will begin another 60 years of good work and help to the world.

Very best wishes,