The Korean Medical Association Begins New President Election... "General Strike to Be Decided by Newly Elected President and Emergency Committee Chair"

If Early on the 22nd, Final Runoff Voting Begins; Winner Confirmed on the 26th

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) began its new presidential election on the 20th. With the majority of candidates opposing the increase in medical school admissions, full-scale discussions on collective action are expected to commence after the new executive team takes office.

A related poster is displayed at the Korean Medical Association building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 19th, one day before the Korean Medical Association presidential election. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the medical community on the 20th, the KMA started the election for the 42nd president of the association, which will last for three days. The candidates, in order of ballot number, are Park Myeong-ha, President of the Seoul Medical Association (Chairman of the KMA Emergency Committee’s Organizational Strengthening Committee); Joo Su-ho, former KMA president (Chairman of the KMA Emergency Committee’s Media and Public Relations Committee); Lim Hyun-taek, President of the Korean Pediatric Society (Member of the KMA Emergency Committee); Park In-sook, former National Assembly member (Chairwoman of the KMA Emergency Committee’s External Cooperation Committee); and Jeong Woon-yong, representative of the Busan-Gyeongnam branch of the Association of Doctors for Humanism (Inuihyeop).

Voting is conducted from 8 a.m. on the 20th until 6 p.m. on the 22nd, and the candidate who receives the majority of votes will be elected. If no candidate obtains a majority, a runoff election between the top two candidates will be held on the 25th and 26th, with the winner confirmed on the 26th. This election will be conducted entirely via electronic voting, allowing voters to cast their ballots for their preferred candidate using personal smartphones or PCs.

It is anticipated that the medical community will launch full-scale protest activities once the new executive team is installed. Among the five candidates, only Jeong Woon-yong supports increasing medical school admissions. The other four are currently active as subcommittee chairs or members within the KMA Emergency Committee. Among them, Park Myeong-ha, Joo Su-ho, and Lim Hyun-taek are under police investigation for allegedly instigating or abetting the collective resignation of resident doctors.

Lim Hyun-taek, after completing a police investigation on the 15th, stated, "As the elected president, I will lead a nationwide doctors' general strike," and told those around him, "I will lead the struggle without fear of punishment." Joo Su-ho, as chairman of the Emergency Committee’s Media and Public Relations Committee, has also shown strong determination to reconsider the increase in medical school admissions from scratch.

Park Myeong-ha maintains the position of "resisting unjust policies and oppression with all my might and entering the final struggle." Park In-sook, a former two-term National Assembly member, said, "I am becoming a fighter every day. If elected, I will do my best to solve difficult issues by mobilizing all my abilities, connections, and experience."

Jeong Woon-yong supports increasing medical school admissions but believes the scale of 2,000 additional students is problematic. He argues that the government’s specific considerations for revitalizing essential regional medical services are lacking.

The KMA Emergency Committee is expected to discuss future protest strategies together with the new president. Kim Kang-hyun, spokesperson for the KMA Emergency Committee, responded to reporters’ questions about plans for a vote among all members regarding collective action during a regular briefing held at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, the previous day, saying, "Whether to proceed with a general strike will be decided by gathering the opinions of members through the new president, the Emergency Committee chairman, and various executives," and added, "We are considering having the new president and the Emergency Committee chairman discuss the negotiation and protest directions related to the increase in medical school admissions together."