After the April 10 general election, the opposition parties have urged the government to promptly resolve the conflict over medical school quota issues.
According to the opposition on the 18th, the Democratic Party of Korea has begun the process of appointing the chairperson of the Special Committee on Medical Reform, led by Kim Min-seok, the party’s Standing Policy Chief. The Democratic Party previously proposed forming a public discussion special committee on health and medical care in the National Assembly, involving both ruling and opposition parties, the medical community, the government, and civic groups, to find a compromise. This public discussion special committee is structurally similar to the presidential medical reform committee proposed by the government and is expected to serve as a key body mediating between the medical community and the government.
The Democratic Union, a proportional satellite party of the Democratic Party, called on President Yoon Seok-yeol to hold a summit meeting to resolve the conflict over medical policy. On the 16th, the Democratic Union’s Special Committee on Medical Reform pressured at the National Assembly, stating, "President Yoon Seok-yeol should promptly hold a summit meeting with the leader of the main opposition party."
On the 20th, when the results of the medical school admission quota increase distribution that triggered conflicts between the medical community and the government were announced, a medical school official was entering the research building at a university hospital in Seoul. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, also reportedly stated during a private meeting with Park Dan, Emergency Committee Chair of the Korean Intern Resident Association, that "President Yoon should declare a re-examination from the starting point" regarding the issue of increasing medical school quotas.
After the meeting, Chair Park quoted Lee’s remarks published in a media outlet on his social media. The quoted statement from Lee was, "Since the positions of interns, medical school professors, and hospital associations may differ, as a young party, we will try to reflect the views of the most vulnerable group among them, the interns, as much as possible," adding, "President Yoon Seok-yeol’s bold decision to declare a re-examination from the starting point will be the foundation for the proper operation of the consultative body."
However, reactions from the medical community are divided. Some believe that if medical reform, including increasing medical school quotas, can be re-examined from the beginning, they are willing to cooperate with the political sphere, while others insist on negotiating solely with the government.
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