In Korea, traditional medicine had played a key role in general practice (GP) successfully before Western (conventional) Medicine was introduced by Japanese colonial government in the 1910s, and it has been still valid until now since dualistic medical system with Western and Oriental (Korean) Medicine is fixated. Korean Medicine (KM) shares the same origin with other East Asian medicines in treatment principles and relevant interventions, but it has been developed in accordance with its own local contextual specialty. Besides Saam acupuncture and Sasang constitutional medicine, GP also shows difference in the institutional aspects including medical care delivery system and reimbursement system as well as in the practical aspects such as selection of herbal remedies and acupuncture techniques. Current clinical situation which KM is faced with also has unique points compared with other East Asian Medicines including China and Japan.

According to the survey on the current status of use and consumption of Korean medicinal treatment and herbal drugs in 2014, 92% of the Korean population has experience of Korean medicinal treatment. Although considering this preference of KM, the future of KM is not always a bed of roses. The conflicts between other medical professions, adoption of health technology assessment in the government policy, and increase of medical knowledge in the general population urge Korean medicinal practitioners to suggest concrete evidence for medical decision through rigorous clinical studies. The new-generation KM doctors want to emerge from the past education of apprentices based on great master's anecdotal experiences and prefer scientific evidence for their own practice. Reflecting these trends, outstanding clinical trials have started to be conducted in Korea during the last decade. Clinical guidelines on musculoskeletal diseases and Hwabyung, a Korean specific somatization disorder, were published currently as well.

In this special issue, we intend to invite the A to Z of clinical researches on the current status of KM. Any types of clinical studies and reviews on evidence-based medicine in GP settings are welcomed. We hope this issue would contain meaningful achievements reflecting current clinical practice of KM.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies on acupuncture and herbal medicines in KM
• Systematic and narrative reviews on interventions of KM
• Research protocols of trials and reviews of KM interventions
• Qualitative researches on the experience and perception of KM
• Survey on the current situation of KM in GP settings
• Comparative effectiveness research with KM and Western conventional medicine
• Clinical studies on Sasang constitutional medicine and Saam acupuncture
• Outstanding case studies or case series on intractable diseases with KM
• Clinical guidelines and studies on the development of clinical guidelines in KM