[Reporter’s Notebook] Rational Dialogue Needed for 'Jeongong-ui Strike'

Residents from Hallym University Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, led by the Korean Intern Resident Association, are urging for a reconsideration of the medical school quota expansion in front of Guro Digital Complex Station in Guro-gu, Seoul on the 24th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] "What exactly did you do during the COVID-19 pandemic?"

This comment was posted on a resident doctor's personal SNS (social network service). The person who wrote the comment had no acquaintance with the resident doctor but hurled harsh insults simply because they opposed government policies. Earlier, the Korean Medical Student Association (KMSA) twisted the government's 'Thanks Challenge,' which was conducted to support healthcare workers fighting COVID-19, by posting and sharing photos with thumbs down on SNS under the name 'Thanks, but no thanks Challenge.' In this process, some netizens who supported the government policy criticized the doctors' personal SNS accounts for this act. The KMSA stated, "We are investigating the exact circumstances at the association level and discussing whether to proceed with legal action to support the affected members."

This case illustrates how the social discourse surrounding the government's four major medical policies, including the expansion of medical school admissions and the establishment of public medical schools, is irrationally unfolding. Rather than serious consideration on how to improve the system's framework, it clearly reveals our society's lack of discussion skills, such as political interpretations, slander against the opposing side, and incitement of anger. Especially as the COVID-19 resurgence period coincides with doctors' strikes and collective actions, these tendencies have become more emotionally charged.

There are reasonable grounds not only for the necessity of government policy formulation but also for the reasons behind doctors' collective actions. Nothing in social phenomena is absolutely good or absolutely evil. Therefore, at a time when conflicts are escalating, rational and reasonable dialogue and solutions are urgently needed. Medical organizations themselves should question whether extreme actions are appropriate at this time. Using the national medical crisis as a tool to enforce demands is a despicable strategy. The phrase "I will prioritize the health and life of patients" appears in the Hippocratic Oath.

The right to express opposing opinions on matters related to one's carefully built future and professional pride must also be guaranteed. The rational actions of those opposing the doctors' strike are also a form of civic consciousness required in a national crisis situation.