'Hardline Showdown'... Medical Association President Election Runoff Voting Begins Today

Kim Taek-woo vs. Joo Soo-ho Showdown... Winner Announcement Tomorrow Evening

The final runoff vote for the next president of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) began on the 7th. According to the KMA Election Commission, the runoff vote for the by-election of the next president is being conducted via electronic voting from 8 a.m. on the 7th until 6 p.m. on the 8th, spanning two days.

Yonhap News

This runoff follows the initial presidential election held from the 2nd to the 4th, where no candidate secured a majority of votes. Vote counting will begin at 7 p.m. on the closing day at the KMA headquarters, with the winner announced the same day.

Among approximately 140,000 registered members, 51,895 nationwide members whose registry was finalized at the end of last month are participating in the vote.

In the runoff, two candidates face off: Kim Taek-woo, president of the National Association of Metropolitan and Provincial Medical Associations, and Joo Soo-ho, former KMA president and representative of the Future Medical Forum. The vote difference between the two candidates in the first round was only 437 votes, indicating a close contest is expected in the runoff as well.

The next president is expected to confront issues such as the return of residents and medical students who have left training hospitals and medical schools without returning, alongside the medical school quota. The government’s upcoming second phase of medical reform implementation plans also present challenges for the next KMA executive team.

The government’s draft plan to reform non-reimbursable and actual expense insurance, which will be unveiled at a public hearing on the 9th, is also being closely watched by the medical community. Additionally, the lack of official dialogue between the KMA and the government so far, coupled with unclear government counterparts amid the impeachment political crisis, has become a challenge the new executive team must address.

Meanwhile, regardless of who becomes the next president, a tough stance against the government is expected to continue. Both candidates, after the first round results were announced, emphasized halting the government’s medical reform and suspending the recruitment of new medical students for the 2026 academic year, signaling a hardline struggle. Furthermore, candidates who were eliminated have also called for strong leadership from the next president. On the 6th, Kang Hee-kyung, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine who was eliminated in the first round, posted a message urging members to cast their votes for a seasoned candidate who can demonstrate strong leadership to unify the will of all physician members.

This election is a by-election held after former president Lim Hyun-taek, who took office in May last year, was impeached within six months amid controversies over offensive remarks and communication failures. The candidate confirmed as the winner after the runoff vote on the 8th will immediately assume office and lead the KMA for the remainder of Lim’s term, which ends on April 30, 2027.