[Reporter’s Notebook] Vice Minister Dismissal Cannot Be a Premise for Political-Legislative Dialogue

"Action must be taken first regarding Park Minsu, the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare."

This is what a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee heard a few days ago from a representative of the Korean Medical Association (KMA). It was an unofficial dialogue session led by the lawmaker to seek a solution to the year-long deadlock in the medical-government conflict, triggered by the government's soon-to-be-announced plan to enhance medical school education quality.

Vice Minister Park has been the figure symbolizing the government's 'medical school expansion' policy, whether liked or not, as he directly engaged with the medical community over the past year. Numerous government announcements and key administrative actions related to the medical-government conflict have passed through his hands and mouth. Coercive measures, such as issuing work commencement orders to resigning residents and sending prior administrative penalty notices, were also carried out under his leadership on the surface.

Residents who resigned and medical students on leave whom the reporter met during the medical-government conflict phase often openly expressed their resentment toward Vice Minister Park. It was not difficult to encounter language filled with hatred that was hard to include in the article.

It is not condemnable for any group to harbor resentment toward a specific individual concerning their significant interests. However, hearing the repeated 'call for Park Minsu's dismissal' like a broken record raises questions such as, "Was it really just one vice minister who caused over 3,000 excess deaths in half a year?" The public understands that whether or not a mid-level official is dismissed is not the essence of the problem, nor would the medical community drastically change its stance just because he is dismissed.

It is undeniable that the medical community is also making various efforts from their own standpoint. For example, the KMA has announced its intention to attend the National Assembly's public hearing scheduled for the 14th on the 'Legislation of the Medical Workforce Supply and Demand Estimation Organization.' This implies a possibility of engaging in dialogue depending on the Ministry of Education's announcement.

It is likely not only the reporter who worries that this precarious space for compromise might disappear amid controversies over the dismissal of a particular individual. Now is the time to put down anger as much as possible, focus on solving the problem, and rely on reason rather than emotion.

The situation has long surpassed the level that can be handled by a single official or a specific ministry. The fact that the prolonged medical-government conflict inevitably harms the futures of residents and medical students remains unchanged.