"Endure for 6 Months to Win," Lee Ju-ho's Remark Sparks Controversy... Ministry of Education Says "Not a Doctor's Statement"

Explanation Emphasizing September as the Golden Time for Recovery

As the conflict between the medical community and the government triggered by the increase in medical school admissions has surpassed six months, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho made a statement implying "If we endure for just six months, we will win," prompting the Ministry of Education to clarify. The target of winning is not the doctors but the current situation.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho Photo by Yonhap News

On the 31st, the Ministry of Education released an explanatory statement saying, "Some parts of the discussion were reported in a way completely different from the overall intent of the remarks, so we want to correct that," and explained, "Just like the lesson learned from the painful incident at Seoi Elementary School last year, where weekly meetings were held to communicate with the field and restore trust in the education sector, the statement was made with the intention that communication and trust-building with the medical community are the top priorities to complete medical reform." It argued that the remarks emphasized September as the golden time (optimal period) for communication and trust recovery regarding the wall of distrust built between the medical community and the government during the medical reform process.

It added, "We regret that some words from a closed-door discussion aimed at exploring various solutions have spread without considering the overall context and intent," and "We hope this does not undermine the trust and cooperation between the medical community, the government, and the National Assembly."

At a workshop held on the afternoon of the 29th at the Human Resources Development Institute of Incheon International Airport Corporation, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho, along with Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong and Presidential Office Social Secretary Jang Sang-yoon, reported on the medical reform promotion plan and expressed the intention to maintain the policy of increasing medical school admissions. During this process, when Deputy Prime Minister Lee said, "If we endure for just six months, we will win. Please wait," a rebuttal such as "Are doctors the opponents in this fight? (Assemblyman Go Dong-jin)" reportedly arose, leading to a verbal dispute.

President Yoon Suk-yeol did not attend this workshop. This contrasts with his consistent attendance at major official party events such as the People Power Party’s national convention and the National Assembly members’ workshop since his inauguration. There is an interpretation that a clash of opinions with People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon over handling the medical crisis issue may have influenced this.

The medical community was also outraged by Deputy Prime Minister Lee’s remarks at the workshop. Kang Hee-kyung, emergency committee member and professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital, wrote on Facebook that day, "We have already won (against the doctors). Wasn’t the goal to forcibly turn doctors, who used to be devoted, into mere technicians providing medical services?" Former spokesperson of the Korean Medical Association’s emergency committee Joo Su-ho also wrote, "A regime that views expert organizations as targets to be overthrown deserves to be overthrown."