On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to welcome and invite all of you to join the 8th international live demonstration course, Angioplasty Summit 2003 in Seoul, Korea.

In the past several years, Angioplasty Summit Conference has become one of the most solid educational programs worldwide for interventional cardiologists and radiologists, general cardiologists, cardiology fellows, residents, technologists and nurses in the Asian Pacific area, under ever-lasting patronage of a number of participants' voluntary work and encouragements. In the last 2 years, by broadcasting live cases transmission via satellite throughout the world including US, France, Singapore, China and Japan. Angioplasty Summit has grown to be a conference offering excellent education programs recognized not only in the Asia Pacific region but also in the world. We are proud to say that we have secured a place in the world as an excellent international conference recognized by others. Not only academic exchange, Angioplasty Summit is also a place where great scholars from the entire world gather together to form and build friendship.

In this year, Angioplasty Summit lays great emphasis upon drug eluting stent symposium and angiomyogenesis symposium and the latest update on the major clinical trials. And I hope the Summit brings to all those attending an excellent opportunity to gain a comprehensive familiarity with the current therapeutic modalities and emerging treatment strategies within the field of cardiovascular intervention through the separated concurrent sessions. The utility of cutting balloon, embolic protection device and assessment of vulnerable plaque will be discussed. Keeping paced with evolutionary global progress, Summit will be also focused on co-organization of educational program on peripheral intervention. And also, international and multi-centered functionalities with live cases on simultaneous satellite transmission set to be planned from Colombus Hospital in Italy, Shiga Medical Center in Japan and Gil Medical Center in Incheon. We would like to give you the best learning experiences in Seoul. Please join us and enjoy this meeting.

We look forward to seeing you in Seoul.

Seung-Jung Park, MD, PhD, FACC	Gary S. Mintz, MD
Chairman, Organizing Committee	Course Director, Angioplasty summit