As opposition from the medical community over the increase in medical school admissions intensifies, the police have also begun full-scale judicial procedures against collective actions.
According to the National Police Agency on the 26th, the Metropolitan Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency summoned Kim Sun-hwan, Secretary General of the Committee for the Protection of Ordinary Citizens' Livelihoods (Seominwi), on the 23rd for a complainant investigation.
On the 21st, Seominwi filed complaints against Kim Taek-woo, Emergency Committee Chairman of the Korean Medical Association, the Emergency Committee executive team, Park Dan, President of the Korean Interns and Residents Association, and the residents participating in the strike at the ‘Big 5’ hospitals?Seoul Asan Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital, and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital?on charges including violation of the Medical Service Act.
On the 21st, amid growing concerns over a medical crisis due to the collective departure of residents, Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, is answering reporters' questions regarding the medical community's collective action at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The joint briefing was attended by Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Interior and Safety, Park Sung-jae, Minister of Justice, and Shin Ja-yong, Deputy Prosecutor General. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@
Additionally, on the 22nd, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul conducted a search and seizure at the headquarters of the doctors' community 'MediStaff' located in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. This was in connection with a post titled “[Important] Must-read for Residents Leaving the Hospital!!” recently uploaded online, which contained instructions such as “Delete handover sheets from the desktop and the department’s shared folder, and change all set orders strangely before leaving.”
The police secured servers, PCs, and laptops to find member information, poster identities, and access records. They are currently tracking the IP address of the post's author and consider there to be charges of obstruction of business.
The police plan to thoroughly investigate not only medical institution heads who neglect to prevent harm but also acts of damaging medical records and electronic medical records. They will also strictly respond to acts of inciting refusal to return to work or destruction of medical records online, as well as the dissemination of malicious fake news.
However, it is known that there have been no complaints from the Ministry of Health and Welfare regarding refusal to comply with work commencement (return) orders yet.
Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, emphasized, “Since this issue is directly related to the lives and safety of the public, the role of the police is crucial,” adding, “In cases of harm such as death caused by delays in surgery or treatment, the criminal mobile units of city and provincial police agencies will conduct direct investigations, and illegal actors will be strongly dealt with under the principle of detention and investigation.”
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