Park Hyung-wook Elected as Chairman of the Medical Association Emergency Committee: "The Time Bomb Must Stop for Dialogue to Be Possible"

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) announced on the 13th that Park Hyung-wook, Vice President of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, was elected as the chairman of the Emergency Response Committee. His term will last until the next president is elected early next year.

According to the KMA, Park secured 123 votes (52.79%) out of a total of 233 valid votes in the first round of voting held late in the afternoon, surpassing the majority and confirming his election. There are a total of 244 KMA delegates eligible to vote.

Four candidates ran in the election, including Vice President Park, Lee Dong-wook, President of the Gyeonggi-do Medical Association, Joo Shin-gu, President of the Korean Hospital Doctors Association, and Hwang Kyu-seok, President of the Seoul Medical Association (listed in alphabetical order by name).

Park Hyung-wook, Vice President of the Korean Medical Association, elected as Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the Korean Medical Association. Photo by Yonhap News

This election was held following the impeachment of former KMA President Lim Hyun-taek on the 10th amid controversies over his rude remarks and lack of communication since his inauguration in May this year, leading the KMA to shift to an emergency committee system.

The chairman of the Emergency Response Committee will serve as the head of the KMA until the next president is elected, overseeing the overall management of medical policy conflicts, including issues such as increasing medical school admissions.

Immediately after receiving his certificate of election, Chairman Park stated, "The government has armed a time bomb called medical collapse," adding, "If the government truly wants dialogue, it must first stop the time bomb. Only then can genuine dialogue be possible."

Earlier, Park Dan, chairman of the Korean Interns and Residents Association (KIRA) Emergency Committee, along with about 70 residents, sent a message to KMA delegates the previous day expressing their public support by recommending Professor Park Hyung-wook as chairman of the Emergency Response Committee.

The first round of voting for the next KMA president will be held over three days from January 2 to 4 next year. If no candidate receives a majority in the first round, a runoff vote between the top two candidates will take place on January 7-8.

According to KMA election regulations, former President Lim Hyun-taek, who was dismissed by a vote of no confidence at the delegates' general meeting, is barred from running for president for five years and thus cannot participate in next year’s presidential election.