"Making Money as a Doctor, They Say There Are Even Diseases That Don't Exist"… Beopryun Sunim's Sharp Critique Revisited

Highlighting Past Remarks on Online Community
"Overtreatment Occurs Due to Money-Seeking Doctors"

"Doctors are supposed to treat sick people, not become doctors just to make money."

Amid residents submitting resignation letters in opposition to the government's plan to increase medical school admissions, a video of Venerable Beopryun harshly criticizing doctors who pursue money has become a hot topic online.

[Photo by YouTube capture]

On the 22nd, a video titled "A father disappointed in his son who couldn't get into medical school and the son tormented by guilt" was shared on an online community. In the video, the storyteller shared that his parents had hoped he would become a doctor since he was young.

Venerable Beopryun said, "Because doctors become doctors to make money, there are diseases that doctors ignore, and minor illnesses are called major ones." He pointed out, "They say surgeries that aren't necessary must be done, which leads to over-treatment. They also deceive medical insurance, and that's where the problem lies." He continued, "When you go because of wounds or boils that hurt, they don't pay much attention because it doesn't make much money, but fixing a perfectly fine face is what makes money," adding, "Now, the top students in studies apply to plastic surgery. What kind of doctors are these? They're beauticians. The world is wrong." He further explained, "Because everyone is obsessed with money like this, the world is going wrong, and that's why things are chaotic now."

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Earlier, the storyteller said, "Since 4th or 5th grade in elementary school, my parents said, 'You have to support the family. You must become a doctor,'" and added, "I entered as a scholarship student for all three years of high school and achieved grades good enough to apply to universities in the Seoul area." He continued, "I was personally satisfied with my grades, but my father was disappointed and drank every day. Eventually, he went for a health checkup and passed away," and asked Venerable Beopryun, "Since then, I have lived with guilt toward my father. Why did he nurture such a dream, and what kind of existence was I to him?"

At the time, the storyteller was 30 years old and said he quit his job and was preparing for the civil service exam. Venerable Beopryun asked, "The competition rate for the civil service exam is tens to one; do you think your chances of passing are high?" When the storyteller replied, "If I thought I would fail, I wouldn't have even started," the monk emphasized, "That is the path like your father's. You might fail."

He added, "You can fail in dating, fail in business, fail an exam, or buy stocks that go down in value." The monk advised, "You did not kill your father, nor did you tell him to die. He drank and died on his own, so it has nothing to do with you."

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Netizens commented on the post with remarks such as "Doctors become doctors to make money," and "The monk's words are absolutely right."

Meanwhile, the number of residents in 100 major training hospitals has exceeded 9,000. The number of residents who have left these hospitals has also surpassed 8,000. As the government expands the operation of public medical institutions to minimize the medical vacuum caused by the residents' collective strike, it has been revealed that residents at the public police hospital have also resigned.