KMA: "President Will Take the Blame... Urge to Cancel Medical School Expansion"

KMA "Yoon Deceived by Park Minsu and Kim Yoon"
"Willing to Talk if Blank Slate"

The Korean Medical Association criticized Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, and Kim Yoon, the elected member of the National Assembly, urging President Yoon Seok-yeol to make a decisive decision to completely cancel the medical school quota increase.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 10th, the Korean Medical Association held a briefing at the association hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, announcing this stance. Im Hyun-taek, president of the association, said, "I believe the president's words to the public yesterday were sincere for the people, but poly-professors like Park Min-su of the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Kim Yoon are ruining the president and putting the lives of the people at risk," adding, "If later the public expresses regret and resentment, the president will bear all the responsibility."

Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, has led the medical reform promoted by the current government and has had conflicts with medical organizations. Kim Yoon, the elected member, is a doctor who has argued for the necessity of increasing medical school quotas.

Regarding President Yoon’s remark at a press conference the previous day that "medical organizations have not presented a unified alternative," the association reiterated that re-examining the issue from scratch is the unified proposal. He explained, "The medical community has consistently called for a 're-discussion from the starting point' as a unified stance, and it was only that this was not accepted; it is not that there was no unified proposal."

He continued, "We clearly have the willingness to meet and talk with a clean slate," adding, "We ask that the issue of medical school quotas and essential medical policy packages be discussed again from scratch."

He also urged, "Doctors want to resolve this situation as soon as possible," emphasizing, "Since the public is suffering greatly, we now want a decision to meet and have an open and sincere dialogue today, not a confrontation of strength against strength."

He also criticized the plan to import foreign doctors. He said, "Even among those who graduated from overseas medical schools certified by the government, the pass rate for the domestic medical licensing exam is only about 33%," questioning, "Can you entrust your own parents’ lives to those who are even less qualified than them?"

He criticized Prime Minister Han Duck-soo’s remarks and mentioned resignation. Earlier, Prime Minister Han presided over a meeting of the 'Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for Medical Collective Action' at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and referred to the government’s recent legislative notice allowing foreign doctors with licenses to perform medical activities under the supervision of specialists in Korea with approval from the Minister of Health and Welfare during the severe disaster crisis stage. He stated, "We will establish thorough safety measures to ensure that under no circumstances will unverified doctors treat our citizens."

Regarding this statement, President Im said, "He speaks carelessly because he does not understand the medical field well. It can be seen as proof of how little he values the lives of the people," adding, "If he is going to speak so lightly about the lives of the people, I think he should not be in that position even today." He further added, "We demand the prime minister’s resignation immediately today."