Investigation Underway Involving Five Doctors Including One Private Practitioner
The Korean Medical Association strongly opposed the police investigation into university hospital doctors who participated in the collective strike, urging the president and government to "immediately stop this 'bully behavior'."
On the 24th, the association issued a statement titled "Regarding the Police Investigation into Doctors and Medical Students," saying, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration must immediately stop this 'bully behavior' that targets not only residents but also professors, private practitioners, and students," and expressed outrage and shock at "the state's unjust oppression of professors who have legitimately expressed their opinions to prevent 'medical manipulation' and the students who will be responsible for Korea's healthcare."
This followed the announcement by Woo Jong-woo, head of the National Investigation Headquarters, that "Regarding the collective strike, we are investigating a total of five individuals, including three university hospital doctors who were referred for investigation by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 18th for alleged refusal of medical treatment under the Medical Service Act, and two doctors reported by ordinary citizens." The university hospitals to which these doctors belong are Seoul National University Hospital's main branch and its branch in Bundang. Among the doctors reported by citizens, one was identified as a private practitioner.
Additionally, the police have investigated six Hanyang University medical students on charges of coercing other students to refuse classes, and investigations are ongoing at Chungnam National University, Konyang University, and Gyeongsang National University.
In response, the Korean Medical Association argued, "Those who should be subject to police investigation are not doctors but the Ministry of Health and Welfare officials and presidential office personnel who are the main culprits of medical manipulation." Regarding the government's stance, they criticized, "Although the Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 20th, 'Let's have a dialogue regardless of agenda and format,' before the ink on the Seoul National University professors' committee's statement withdrawing the strike was even dry, they are again threatening and oppressing professors and students."
The association emphasized, "We despair at the ruthlessness and incompetence of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration and, heeding the wishes of our members and the public to 'stop this government from ruining the country any further,' we will continue to fight with all our might until the end."
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