'35-Year-Old Specialist's 400 Million Won Salary' Controversy... Doctor-Turned-Politician Shin Hyun-young: "I Earned 100 Million Won at That Age?"

Kim Yoon "35-year-old specialists earn 300-400 million KRW annually... Due to doctor shortage"
Shin Hyun-young "Guaranteed 400 million KRW annually just by becoming a doctor? Incorrect fact"

Shin Hyun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and a former doctor, revealed her income withholding statement from when she worked as a physician to refute claims that the annual salary of employed doctors at general hospitals reaches 400 million won due to a shortage of doctors.

On the 22nd, Shin posted on social media (SNS), "Amid significant concerns among patients over the conflict between the medical community and the government caused by the expansion of medical school quotas, I am increasingly worried about the strengthening of the private education market and the nationwide challenge of medical school entrance exams in the long term," adding, "I am disclosing my combined annual salary from 2018 as a specialist at Myongji Medical Foundation and a full-time professor at Hanyang University College of Medicine."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the income details disclosed by Shin, the total amount she received from the two institutions in one year was about 100 million won. This contradicts the claim made by Professor Kim Yoon of Seoul National University College of Medicine's Department of Medical Management on MBC's '100-Minute Debate' on the 20th, who stated that the annual salary of employed doctors at general hospitals, which was around 200 million won in 2019, has recently risen to 300 to 400 million won due to a shortage of doctors.

Professor Kim argued, "In Korea, after graduating from medical school, completing residency, and serving in the military, one is around 35 years old," and claimed, "Specialists receive an annual salary of 300 to 400 million won." He continued, "If you go to another field and join a large corporation, you would be a manager at 35 with an annual salary of about 100 million won," and questioned, "Even if you studied hard and joined a large corporation, wouldn't everyone want to go to medical school if choosing another field means you can only earn 100 million won?"

Shin Hyun-young, a Democratic Party lawmaker, disclosed her 2018 earned income withholding tax statement. [Image source=Shin's Facebook]

In response, Shin said, "I was 38 years old at the time, a 13-year licensed doctor and specialist." She explained, "I am courageously disclosing my case so that people do not make wrong decisions about their career paths based on the exaggerated hope and incorrect fact that doctors are guaranteed an annual salary of 400 million won, and to prevent our society from turning into a doctor-centric society that wastes unnecessary social costs and leads to overheated competition."