"Speeding Up the Formation of the Social Consultative Body"
Jang Sang-yoon, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs at the Presidential Office, referred to the meeting between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Park Dan, Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Korean Intern Resident Association (Daejeonhyeop), saying, "Since a dialogue took place with the interns and residents who are the parties involved in the collective action, it has opened the door to conversation," and added, "It indirectly showed a sincere willingness to engage in dialogue," emphasizing its significance.
On the 8th, Jang said on SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "The President met with Chair Park for 2 hours and 20 minutes," and "He devoted much more time listening than in a typical summit meeting."
Park Dan, chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), is heading to the meeting room to attend the 7th Emergency Response Committee meeting held on the 7th at the Korean Medical Association in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to oppose the increase in medical school quotas. [Photo by Yonhap News]
On the 4th, President Yoon met with Chair Park for a private 140-minute meeting. Expectations rose that the meeting, held 45 days after the collective resignation of interns and residents, could resolve the medical-government conflict, but the atmosphere shifted after Chair Park posted on social media that "there is no future for Korean medical care."
Regarding Chair Park's social media post, Jang described it as a "disappointing reaction," but said, "I do not think the dialogue has been cut off or that the outlook is negative based on that one statement." He added, "Can one be satisfied after the first attempt? We had a dialogue and listened carefully, so there is no change in the intention to continue the conversation going forward."
The medical community is demanding the suspension of the process to increase medical school quotas by 2,000 as a condition for dialogue with the government. On this, Jang explained, "The numbers proposed by the government were decided responsibly after careful consideration and consultation," and said, "If the medical community raises objections or proposes better alternatives with reasonable grounds and unified opinions, we are prepared to discuss them flexibly."
He stated, "It is not desirable to attach conditions to dialogue," and urged, "The medical community has announced a joint press conference right after the general election, but I hope the process proceeds as quickly as possible to prevent harm to medical sites and university entrance exam candidates."
The government is currently accelerating the formation of a social consultative body related to medical reform. Jang explained, "The social consultative body can include the government, the medical community, patient advocacy groups, consumer organizations, and experts," and added, "We are broadly reaching out to gather opinions."
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