IEEE Communications Society has relationships with societies of similar areas of interest and technical scope in many nations. The Sister Societies Committee is charged with developing the strategy, formulating the process, and engaging with the ComSoc Sister to promote additional cooperation in a specific discipline through joint activities. To engage and foster cooperation with the sister societies, our committee embarked on an initiative to introduce some of the prominent sister societies to the ComSoc community.

For this first article, we asked Prof. Chungyong Lee, President of the Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers (IEIE) (S. Korean counterpart of IEEE), and Prof. Seong Ho Jeong, President of the Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences (KICS) (S. Korean counterpart of IEEE and IEEE ComSoc), and to introduce their societies.

The Institute of Electronics and Information Engineers (IEIE)

by President Chungyong Lee, South Korea

The IEIE (https://www.theieie.org) is the South Korean counterpart of IEEE. It is one of the oldest and most representative academic organizations in the IT sector of Korea and is celebrating its 78th anniversary in 2024. It currently has around forty-two thousand registered members.

Its governance consists of the General Assembly, the Council, and the Board of Directors. The organization includes six Societies and twelve Regional Sections. The six Societies cover major academic and technical fields, and forty-two Technical Groups operate under these Societies. The Societies include the Communications Society and the AI Signal Processing Society. The Communications Society encompasses the Intelligent Networks Technical Group, the Microwave and Antennas Technical Group, and five other Technical Groups.

IEIE publishes two journals in English, one journal in Korean, and one magazine in Korean. It hosts various conferences and technical workshops, including ICCE-ASIA and ICEIC. Additionally, it promotes cooperation with the government, related institutions, research institutes, and organizations. In collaboration with IEEE, the IEIE signed an MOU of cooperation in 1994, an MOU for the joint award in 2004, and an MOU for a conference with the IEEE Consumer Technology Society in 2012.

The Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences (KICS)

by President Seong Ho Jeong, South Korea

The Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences (KICS) (https://www.kics.or.kr) is the South Korean Sister Society of IEEE ComSoc. It is the largest ICT academic organization in Korea, with over 30,000 members, 60 affiliated companies, 8 domestic and 13 overseas sections, 6 societies, and 30 technical activity groups.

KICS has strong support from leading global IT companies and research institutions in Korea, including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Qualcomm, Ericsson-LG, National Instruments, SK Telecom, KT, LGU+, ETRI, KETI, KISDI, Huawei, Hanwha Systems, LIG Nex1, Lotte Data Communications, GL Associates, and SK Broadband. Additionally, KICS actively engages in global collaborations with its international members to advance communications and networking technology through 13 overseas sections in countries such as the US, China, Japan, France, Spain, Hungary, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Malaysia, and the Philippines. As the Korean Sister Society of IEEE ComSoc, KICS maintains a strong relationship with ComSoc, working together to achieve the shared goal of international cooperation through jointly sponsored conferences, co-sponsored publications, and the promotion of major events.

KICS was founded on October 19, 1974, with the mission “to establish a comprehensive scientific theoretical system through academic research on telecommunications and its industry, and to promote the academic development and dissemination of this theory both domestically and internationally, thereby contributing to the enhancement of human welfare and national development through telecommunications science and its industry.” KICS is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024.

In terms of governance, KICS is led by a President, an Executive Vice President, and three main Vice Presidents, each responsible for Academic Research Affairs, Information Affairs, and Academic Business Affairs. Additionally, there are fourteen appointed Vice Presidents and fifty Executive Directors working under the guidance of these eighteen Vice Presidents. The current KICS President for 2024 is Prof. Seong Ho Jeong from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Korea. President Jeong has held various leadership roles in ITU-T Study Groups, contributing to the development of standards for multimedia systems & applications, performance, and quality of service/experience.

KICS organizes three annual domestic conferences each year - in winter, summer, and fall - drawing over 5,000 ICT R&D experts who present their latest research findings and discuss emerging technological trends. Additionally, KICS hosts several international conferences annually, which are technically co-sponsored by IEEE ComSoc. These include the International Conference on ICT Convergence (ICTC, ictc.org), the International Conference on Ubiquitous and Future Networks (ICUFN, icufn.org), and the International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Information and Communication (ICAIIC, icaiic.org).

KICS established a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IEEE ComSoc in 2000, becoming a Sister Society to promote international cooperation in conferences, membership benefits, and publications. The Journal of Communications and Networks (JCN), a joint publication of KICS and IEEE ComSoc, is a global SCIE-indexed journal focused on communications and information networks, founded in 1999 as a result of this strong partnership. In 2005, the IEEE ComSoc/KICS Exemplary Global Service Award was established to recognize members from both societies for exemplary and distinguished service in globalizing communications.

The close relationship between KICS and IEEE ComSoc has advanced significantly since 2000, highlighted by the election of KICS President Byeong Gi Lee as the IEEE Communications Society President for 2010–2011. Today, KICS continues to support the IEEE Seoul Section and IEEE ComSoc Seoul Chapter through its robust event organization and logistics capabilities, reinforcing international cooperation.

KICS is proud to have IEEE ComSoc as a Sister Society, sharing in global activities focused on advancing communications and networking technologies to enhance the membership experience. In addition to JCN, KICS publishes ICT Express, another global SCIE-indexed journal covering communications and related fields, and J-KICS, a global journal indexed by Scopus.