Regarding Im Hyun-taek's impeachment, the Korean Medical Association states, "Decision to participate in the ruling and opposition parties' medical council after consulting with residents"

Resident Representative Park Dan "In the End, Everything Goes the Right Way"

Yonhap News

Following the impeachment and resignation of Im Hyeon-taek, president of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), who was involved in controversies including 'offensive remarks,' the KMA will transition to an emergency response committee (ERC) system on the 10th.

The KMA's General Assembly passed the no-confidence motion with 170 votes in favor, exceeding the required quorum of 150, at an extraordinary general meeting held at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Out of 248 delegates, 224 attended the meeting. There were 50 votes against and 4 abstentions, making the approval rate an overwhelming 75.9%.

For the no-confidence motion to pass, at least two-thirds of the total delegates must be present, and two-thirds of those present must vote in favor. Thus, President Im was dishonorably dismissed just six months after taking office.

Before the vote, President Im expressed regret, saying, "I am very sorry that the extraordinary general meeting was convened due to the submission of the no-confidence motion and the proposal to form an emergency response committee," and appealed for rejection by stating, "If given one last chance, I will be careful with my words and actions in any situation, including private settings."

With the passage of the no-confidence motion against President Im, the KMA will switch to an ERC system and hold a by-election within 60 days. Initially, the proposal to form an acting president system to quickly conduct the by-election was rejected. However, due to ongoing disagreements, a re-vote was held, and the ERC formation proposal was approved with 106 votes in favor and 63 against.

The formation of the ERC requires a majority attendance of delegates and a majority vote of those present. Candidates for the ERC chairperson must register by 4 p.m. on the 12th, and the chairperson will be elected through an online vote by delegates on the 13th.

Potential candidates for the ERC chairperson or next president include former KMA president Joo Su-ho, Seoul Medical Association president Hwang Gyu-seok, National Metropolitan City and Provincial Medical Association chairman Kim Taek-woo, and former KMA ERC spokesperson Kim Seong-geun.

President Im had faced criticism for damaging the KMA's reputation through offensive remarks and careless statements on social media (SNS). He was also criticized for failing to adequately respond to the government's medical school expansion policy, which led to the inability to block the increase in medical school admissions for the 2025 academic year, and for failing to prevent the enactment of the Nursing Act.

Additionally, he lost the support of junior doctors after conflicts with Park Dan, chairperson of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) emergency committee, on online platforms. On the 7th, Park publicly demanded President Im's voluntary resignation and called on KMA delegates to impeach him via SNS.

After the impeachment decision, Park posted on SNS, "In the end, everything is on the right path."