Vote of No Confidence (Impeachment) Passed for Medical Association President... Provisional Committee Expected to Launch (Comprehensive)

170 of 224 Delegates Present Vote in Favor

The vote of no confidence (impeachment) against Im Hyun-taek, president of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), has been passed. The KMA is expected to operate under an emergency committee system until the next by-election for the president, which will be held within 60 days.

The Korean Medical Association's Delegate Assembly is holding an extraordinary general meeting at 2 p.m. on the 10th at the Association Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where agenda items such as forming a special committee for no confidence in President Lim are being discussed. Photo by Choi Taewon

The KMA General Assembly of Delegates held an extraordinary general meeting at 2 p.m. on the 10th at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where the agenda including the formation of an emergency committee for the no-confidence vote against President Im was raised and announced.

According to KMA regulations, a no-confidence motion against the president is established by the proposal of at least one-quarter of members with voting rights or one-third of the total delegates, and is decided by the attendance of at least two-thirds of the total delegates and the approval of at least two-thirds of the attending delegates.

On that day, 224 delegates attended, and 170 voted in favor of the no-confidence motion against President Im. There were 50 votes against and 4 abstentions.

According to KMA internal rules, if the no-confidence motion is passed, the president is immediately removed from office, and a by-election must be held within 60 days. Until a new president is elected through the by-election, the emergency committee formed by the extraordinary general meeting is expected to fill the executive vacancy for up to two months.

Before the vote at the extraordinary general meeting, President Im said, "I failed to resolve the tangle of the forced increase in medical school admissions and medical manipulation. I feel only guilty for being powerless against the government and the presidential office’s arrogance and obstinacy," and added, "Above all, I was unable to fully represent the voices of residents and medical students, which was crucial in this fight," appealing to the delegates.

He also promised that if re-elected, he would ▲ refrain from controversial remarks and actions ▲ establish a transparent and communicative executive body ▲ and achieve personnel reform.

However, this persuasion did not change the minds of the delegates. President Im had been involved in several controversies, including calling a female judge who sentenced a doctor indicted for professional negligence causing death "Is this woman sane?", referring to a senior presidential office official’s remark that simultaneous education of 7,500 medical students is possible as "nonsense like a schizophrenic," and telling a doctor who defamed him, "If you want to withdraw the lawsuit, bring 100 million won," among other offensive remarks. He was also criticized for failing to produce significant results in the medical-government conflict that lasted over 10 months.

In fact, the applause that erupted when President Im first appeared at the extraordinary general meeting noticeably decreased after his explanatory remarks following the broadcast of the recording of his "100 million won demand" in the meeting hall.

Meanwhile, the KMA General Assembly of Delegates is currently conducting a vote on the agenda regarding the formation of the emergency committee.