The Korean Medical Association (KMA) Emergency Response Committee strongly criticized the government on the 20th, stating that the resignation of residents was an exercise of the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution.
In a statement released that day, the Emergency Response Committee said, "Residents who resigned of their own free will exercised the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution," and added, "The government is coercing medical professionals who have resigned and are without jobs into forced labor, violating the Labor Standards Act and the Medical Service Act."
The committee pointed out, "It is common sense in a state governed by the rule of law that if something is judged to violate the Constitution and laws, its effect is denied," and questioned, "Do you think it is appropriate to demonize and criticize those who give up their medical careers due to flawed policies, and to force them into labor through violent orders?"
The committee further stated, "If this situation, where violence is wielded against a group while ignoring the Constitution and the Labor Standards Act, is not dictatorship, then what is it?" and warned, "If a government that is destroying a group by holding the people hostage is justified, all doctors in the Republic of Korea will have no choice but to give up their medical profession without any regrets in the future."
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as of 11 p.m. the previous day, 6,415 residents submitted their resignation letters at 100 major training hospitals. The Ministry issued work commencement orders to 831 individuals, instructing them to return to their posts.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
