Medical Association Emergency Committee Chair '4-Way Race'... Final Vote This Afternoon

"Will It Change the Direction of the Legislative Conflict?" Focused Attention

The Korea Medical Association (KMA), which impeached former chairman Im Hyun-taek, is transitioning to an emergency response committee (ERC) system and will elect the ERC chairman on the afternoon of the 13th.

On the 20th, the Korea Medical Association building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The Korea Medical Association announced that instead of launching the "Pan-Medical Community Countermeasures Committee (Pan Committee)" as previously planned, it will launch the "Special Committee for Proper Medical Care (Special Committee)." Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

According to the KMA on that day, four candidates submitted their candidacies by the deadline on the 12th: Park Hyung-wook, vice president of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences; Hwang Kyu-seok, president of the Seoul Medical Association; Joo Shin-gu, chairman of the Korean Hospital Doctors' Council; and Lee Dong-wook, president of the Gyeonggi-do Medical Association. Kim Taek-woo, president of the National Metropolitan City and Provincial Medical Associations, and Joo Soo-ho, former KMA president, who were previously mentioned as candidates for the ERC chairman, did not run.

These candidates expressed their intention for the medical community to unite and respond to government policies by paying closer attention to the voices of residents and medical students. Some candidates also argued that the medical community should withdraw from the ruling and opposition parties' medical council, which was launched on the 11th without residents and opposition parties.

Residents, who are considered key parties in the current medical-policy conflict, publicly supported Vice President Park Hyung-wook, with 72 members including Park Dan of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) ERC chairman endorsing him the day before.

The KMA will conduct an online vote among 244 delegates in the afternoon to elect the ERC chairman. If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, a runoff vote will be held immediately between the top two candidates (or the top three if there is a tie for second place) to determine the winner.

The elected ERC chairman will lead the KMA emergency committee for the time being and prepare for the next presidential election. The next president must be elected within 60 days after the impeachment, and the ERC chairman is also eligible to run for president.

The medical community and political circles are paying close attention to the election results, as the tendencies of the KMA ERC chairman and the next president could influence the direction of the ongoing medical-policy conflict that has lasted for 10 months.