[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] The 18th World Stroke Congress 2026 (WSC 2026), the world's largest international academic conference on stroke, will be held in Seoul in October. Hong Geun-sik, a neurology professor at Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital, will serve as Co-Chair and help lead the successful hosting of the event.
The World Stroke Congress will take place at COEX in Seoul from October 21 to 23, 2026. The conference is a global academic event expected to draw more than 3,000 participants from over 100 countries and is hosted by the World Stroke Organization.
Hong, who currently serves as chairman of the Korean Stroke Society (KSS), has been active as a board member of the World Stroke Organization since 2022. He has also shown strong leadership on the international academic stage as a representative of the Asia-Oceania region.
WSC 2026 will be held jointly with the Korean Stroke Society's international conference, the International Conference Stroke Update (ICSU). Through this joint event, the organizers aim to create an integrated academic platform that strengthens knowledge exchange and international cooperation across stroke research and clinical care.
The conference will bring together specialists in neurology, neurosurgery, radiology, and rehabilitation medicine, as well as nurses, researchers, health policy experts, and representatives of patient groups. As the only global integrated conference covering the full spectrum of stroke care, it will share the latest research findings and clinical experience.
In particular, the conference will feature the latest clinical trial results, late-breaking clinical trials, updates to international treatment guidelines, and the latest trends in acute care and interventional procedures. Innovative research spanning prevention, treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation will also be highlighted.
Leading researchers, clinicians, and policymakers from around the world will also take part in discussions on the current challenges and future direction of stroke treatment. The agenda is expected to cover not only the development of innovative therapies, but also their application in real-world medical settings and their impact on global health policy.
The Seoul meeting is being viewed as an important opportunity to build global clinical research and academic cooperation networks. Special sessions and mentoring programs for young researchers, along with opportunities for international joint research, are also planned, raising expectations that the conference will help nurture the next generation of researchers.
Hong said, "WSC 2026 is one of the most important international academic conferences where researchers and clinicians from around the world gather to discuss the future of stroke treatment." He added, "I hope the Seoul meeting will further strengthen international cooperation and serve as an opportunity to advance patient-centered innovative treatment strategies."
He continued, "By sharing the latest scientific achievements and clinical experience and by building a new model for international cooperation, this conference will be an important turning point in shaping the future of stroke research and treatment worldwide."
Meanwhile, the World Stroke Congress is a major global conference that draws more than 2,500 to 3,500 experts from 100 to 110 countries each year. At the 2024 meeting in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), about 2,800 participants from 110 countries attended and more than 1,300 abstracts were submitted. At the 2023 meeting in Toronto, Canada, more than 3,600 participants from 106 countries attended, and more than 1,500 studies were presented, underscoring its status as one of the world's premier academic forums.
Early Bird Registration for WSC 2026 will run through June 30, and the organizing committee expects active participation from researchers and medical professionals around the world.
Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
