There are increasing cases of occupational diseases in industrial working places in Korea. The occupational diseases should be well-cared medically and properly compensated for better welfare of workers. Otherwise industrial productivity may be seriously compromised. The compensation first began as an insurance system in 1963 by introducing the 'Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance' in Korea. After then, several related laws or guidelines were made and the compensation system has been developed continuously. In 2013, the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act based on disease names and the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Standards Act based on risk factors, have been amended and implemented. This supplementary issue of the Journal of Korean Medical Science is entitled "Workers' Compensation for Occupational Disease: Newly Amended List of Compensable Occupation Diseases in Korea," which is designed to introduce the recent amendment and to review the status and management system of occupational diseases in Korea. I hope this issue will contribute scientifically to the global academic field of occupational diseases. I appreciate Dr. Jaechul Song and Dr. Dong-Mug Kang for their professional role as Guest Editors and all authors of this issue for their scholarly contribution as specialists.