Medical Professors: "Government Causing Sudden Acceleration Injuries to Citizens, Trying to Abolish Medical Evaluation Institute"

Rally in front of Yongsan War Memorial on the 3rd

Medical school professors held a resolution rally and criticized the government for attempting to neutralize the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation (KIMEE), which evaluates and accredits medical schools, in order to forcibly push forward the expansion of medical school quotas.

Medical school professors are holding placards and shouting slogans at a rally to prevent the neutralization of the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation near the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 3rd.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 3rd, medical school professors gathered at the plaza in front of the War Memorial in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, holding the "National Medical School Professors' Resolution Rally to Prevent the Neutralization of the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation," making these claims.

Choi Chang-min, chairman of the National Emergency Committee of Medical School Professors (Jeon-ui-bi), said in his opening remarks, "Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho confidently stated that an environment conducive to medical education could be created, but in just six months, he is now pressuring KIMEE and even attempting to abolish it through amendments to enforcement ordinances," criticizing the government.

Chairman Choi urged the National Assembly, saying, "In the upcoming parliamentary audit, please thoroughly investigate all processes that lead to the neutralization of KIMEE and the deterioration of medical schools," and emphasized, "We will resist the government's attempt to abolish KIMEE to the very end."

Kim Chang-soo, president of the National Medical School Professors' Council (Jeon-ui-gyo-hyeop), stated, "After eight months of the medical-government conflict, the government is trying to produce doctors at a developing country level by neutralizing KIMEE because proper medical education has become impossible due to an unmanageable increase of 2,000 medical students." He added, "Today’s gathering is the first assembly of professors and marks the beginning of our struggle."

The resolution rally was organized by Jeon-ui-bi and hosted by Jeon-ui-gyo-hyeop. Most attendees were medical school professors. The rally was registered for 500 participants, with police estimating 350 attendees and organizers estimating 800. Professors held placards with slogans such as "Stop educational corruption and protect KIMEE" and "Professors unite to safeguard public health."

In a declaration issued by the medical school professors, they stated, "We cannot help but feel devastated seeing our medical system, which protected public health and created a healthy future through medical advancement under harsh conditions, completely collapse within just eight months due to the current government’s obstinacy and arrogance." They continued, "The government has recklessly projected the number of doctors, which may even be excessive in ten years, using unscientific and superstitious figures, and has only produced harmful reforms disguised as improvements, ultimately destroying the medical system itself."

Meanwhile, the rally was also attended by Park Ju-min, chairman of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party, and Ahn Cheol-soo, a doctor and member of the People Power Party. Chairman Park raised his voice, saying, "Under this government, KAIST graduates trying to normalize research and development (R&D) budgets have been silenced and removed, and media outlets that wrote critical articles have been subject to raids. Now, they are trying to silence the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation, which aims to assess whether medical education can be properly conducted."