The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) strongly opposed the remarks made by Lim Hyun-taek, the next president of the Korean Medical Association (KMA).
In a statement on the 27th, the KHMU criticized Lim Hyun-taek, president of the Korean Pediatric Society, who was elected as the KMA president the day before, for saying, "If even one resident, medical student, or professor is harmed, we will mobilize 140,000 doctors to launch a general strike," calling it "a defense of doctors' vested interests at the expense of the people's lives."
The union evaluated Lim's condition for dialogue, which included reducing medical school admissions by 500 to 1,000 students, as "an act that ignores the crisis in essential medical care, regional healthcare, and public health caused by a shortage of doctors and the suffering of the people, and an irresponsible attitude that pours cold water on dialogue and negotiations aimed at the prompt normalization of medical services."
Finally, the union asserted, "The newly elected KMA president should not be a hardliner opposing the increase in medical school admissions to protect the vested interests of 140,000 doctors, but rather a hardliner who leads the fight to save essential medical care, regional healthcare, and public health based on expanding medical school admissions to protect the lives of the people."
Meanwhile, Lim is known as a hardliner. He became famous last month on the 1st when he was forcibly removed by presidential security officers while demanding entry to a public discussion titled "Medical Reform to Save Lives and Regions," attended by President Yoon Suk-yeol. His campaign pledges as president-elect included △ amending the law on revoking medical licenses △ revising the law on installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) △ prohibiting physician assistants (PA) nurses from acting on behalf of doctors.
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