Lawyer Lee Byung-chul: "Stand Against Yoon Seok-yeol's Medical Dictatorship"
A lawyer representing the medical community in court raised his voice toward resident doctors, urging them to "pull themselves together and fight" over the government's medical policies, including the expansion of medical school quotas.
Medical students "Increase in quota is a breach of contract," states lawyer Byeongcheol Lee [Image source=Yonhap News]
Lawyer Lee Byung-chul said in a statement released on the 18th, "Have doctors ever submitted a single petition to the court from countless citizens? What have resident doctors done to establish legal grounds?" This was interpreted as a response to resident doctors and medical students expressing at a medical symposium held at Seoul Asan Hospital the day before that "witnessing the collapse of South Korea's legal principles is heartbreaking as citizens" and "the court's ruling is regrettable." Lee is the legal representative for the National Association of Medical School Professors and medical students in the lawsuit between the government and medical schools regarding the increase in medical school admissions.
He pointed out, "We entered Seoul National University at 18 and fought against Chun Doo-hwan's gun and sword. We overthrew Chun Doo-hwan on the backs of countless comrades who died." He added, "What are you resident doctors? Are you ghosts?" He said, "If you want to drink the water of the Yalu River while only talking without fighting even when pushed back to the Nakdong River front, that is an insult to the countless warriors who died in battles like the Nakdong River Battle and the Incheon Landing Operation." He continued, "Today (May 18) is the Gwangju Democratization Movement Memorial Day. Pull yourselves together and fight against President Yoon Seok-yeol's medical dictatorship. Do not be ashamed before history."
In an additional statement on the 19th, he explained, "The purpose of publicly criticizing resident doctors was not 'internal criticism' but to reprimand the resident doctors who have been the most passive and uncooperative in the medical school lawsuit," adding, "I mean for them to actively participate even in the remaining two weeks." He also explained, "To convey that as the legal representative in the medical school-related lawsuit at the Supreme Court and Seoul High Court, I am not just siding with the medical community."
Earlier, on the 16th, the Seoul High Court dismissed the applications for suspension of execution filed by medical school professors, resident doctors, medical students, and examinees against the Minister of Education and the Minister of Health and Welfare regarding the increase and distribution of medical school admissions. The court dismissed the applications from medical school professors, resident doctors, and examinees and rejected the application from medical students. With the court siding with the government, the increase in medical school admissions was effectively confirmed for the first time in 27 years since 1998.
In response, the Presidential Office stated on the 19th, "The government will promptly complete related procedures such as changes to the 2025 college entrance examination implementation plan," and "We ask each university to do their best to ensure there are no disruptions to next year's admissions."
The medical community said, "The door for dialogue with the government is always open," and "We propose meetings for dialogue first without unrealistic preconditions such as a complete reconsideration of the medical school quota increase or a one-year postponement."
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