[The Era of Medical Student Cartels]⑤ Professor Kim Nuri "Urgent Need to Restore Public Responsibility"

"Top-ranked Doctors Are Arrogant and Immature"
"Being a Doctor Is Not a Job for Making Money"

Editor's NoteSince February last year, residents who left hospitals in protest against the government's medical school expansion policy have not returned for two years. Medical students who followed their seniors in boycotting classes and collectively taking leaves of absence have largely accepted the government's and universities' warnings of failing or expulsion by formally returning, but the possibility remains that they will continue their struggle through re-leaves and class boycotts. Even if the medical school environment appears to be barely normalized, the collective nature of the medical students and the impact they have left will not be easily erased. Asia Economy analyzes over six installments how and why they can unite so tightly like a 'cartel.'

Professor Kim Nuri of the Department of German Language and Literature at Chung-Ang University held a 'National Accusation Movement Press Conference on the 7-Year-Old Abuse Notification' last month on the 18th at the National Assembly with parents, teachers, civic groups, academics, and political figures. They condemned the reality of anti-educational early private tutoring known as the '7-year-old notification,' '4-year-old notification,' 'elementary medical school class,' and 'elementary special-purpose class,' stating, "Extreme early learning that disregards children's emotional and psychological developmental stages and holistic growth is itself a serious act of child abuse." They also argued, "It is time to make a grand decision to break free from extreme competition."

On the 26th of last month, Professor Kim Nuri of Chung-Ang University was interviewed by Asia Economy in his office in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yoon Dongju

Professor Kim has repeatedly pointed out the problems of Korean education and advocated educational reform modeled on European education systems, including Germany. In an interview with Asia Economy on the 26th of last month, he asserted that medical students who are resisting the government's medical school expansion policy through collective leave are "a group that internalizes the pathology of Korean society most intensely." Regarding the group of doctors including medical students, he sharply criticized, "They blatantly show how monster-like elites produced by Korean education are ruining Korean society."

He expressed serious concern that our education divides students into winners and losers, where the 'top student' winner develops arrogance and immaturity, while losers internalize inferiority, humiliation, defeat, helplessness, frustration, and despair.

Below is a Q&A with Professor Kim.

-Harsh words have been pouring out in the medical community following the medical-government conflict.

▲The violent language used was beyond imaginable, lacking both culture and intellect, unbefitting of medical students or residents. A representative of a medical organization even made rude remarks at an official event. I was shocked by the complete lack of basic human courtesy in their writings and speech.

Anyone could criticize the immature and arrogant attitude of doctors, yet no voices of reflection are heard within. Korean education has truly produced low-quality individuals as elites. The fundamental problem of the Korean medical system is not about increasing the number of quotas.

-What does the culture of doctors mean?

▲Being a doctor is not a job to make money. If one wants to earn money, they can graduate from an engineering school and run a venture company or graduate from a business school and work in finance. It is a social consensus in every country that being a doctor is fundamentally a profession that should not be pursued for profit. This is because the relationship between doctor and patient is the most absolute dependency relationship among human relationships.

Due to the absolute difference in professional knowledge, it is an absolute dependency relationship, requiring absolute ethics, and thus medical practice should not be a profit-making activity. The current medical-government conflict is not simply a medical issue but shows how unethical and sick Korean society is.

-Should medical practice not be treated as a profit-making activity?

▲Medical care is a public domain with strong state responsibility. The Yoon Suk-yeol administration had no such awareness from the start, nor did the doctors. The conflict is not a fight between the government and doctors. The essence is whether medical practice is viewed as a profit-making activity or a public responsibility.

Both groups fundamentally see it as a profit-making activity, so they are the same. This shows how vulgar Korean capitalism is, where those in professional service fields like medicine and law exploit the public using their specialized knowledge.

On the 26th of last month, Professor Kim Nuri of Chung-Ang University was interviewed by Asia Economy in his office at Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yoon Dongju

-Why have experts become like this?

▲Our society is trapped in the name of meritocracy. We need to philosophically reflect on what ability means here. Koreans believe that justice and fairness mean that students who excel at selecting clear-cut correct answers in exams have rights.

If you pass the medical school entrance exam, you automatically become a doctor. I consider doctors, prosecutors, and judges?these shameless and immature elites?as victims of Korean education. They grew up in an environment where becoming a mature human being was fundamentally impossible. Since only academic excellence was forgiven, they inevitably became very arrogant.

-Is it different in other countries?

▲In Germany, various paths are open to enter medical school, but the standards to become a doctor are strict. Therefore, when someone becomes a doctor, they do not have the consciousness that they won some great competition or achieved first place in school. They enter medical school through diverse routes, study because they enjoy it, and if lacking, study a few more years to become doctors.

Even nurses who worked directly in hospitals after graduating only middle school can enter medical school based on their experience, study, and become doctors. In other words, while we always think about competition with others, Germans compete with themselves. The way society operates is different.

-Why haven't we changed like that?

▲There has been plenty of opportunity to change if there was political will. It is unacceptable to keep the number of doctors minimal and enjoy privileged status through that. Doctors should have corrected this themselves but did not step forward.

-Medical students are effectively continuing collective leave.

▲If you ask medical students whether their fight against government policy is because they fear future income reduction, they confidently retort, 'In a capitalist society, isn't it natural to stand up when my job, income, or interests are threatened?' Schools have not even taught the minimum capitalist ethics. It is vulgar capitalism.

-Why is it only Korea?

▲It is thoroughly fascist logic. No other country applies the logic that this world is a huge jungle of competition, survival of the fittest, and natural elimination of the weak as strictly as Korea. Competition is enforced, constant ranking is made, the superior dominate, and the inferior obey?this order is called 'Social Darwinism.'

No country has implemented social Darwinism as thoroughly as Korea. Principles of competition, superiority, and domination are so natural. These principles are accepted under the name of fairness.

When students receive 12 years of education from elementary to high school under fascist principles that normalize discrimination and inequality, they fall into the frivolous logic of 'I studied hard and won, so what's wrong with enjoying economic wealth and privileges?' There is no reflection on ethics, meaning, or values.

-The public is angry.

▲Doctors are so arrogant that people can no longer tolerate it. Some citizens support the Yoon Suk-yeol government solely on the medical issue, even though they believe the government has done nothing right otherwise.

Doctors must also awaken. They think highly of themselves because of their flawed education, but to make Korean society more mature, doctors must consider what thoughts they should have not only as professionals but also as citizens in a democratic society. Our country is a democratic republic, and doctors must have a basic sense of public responsibility in that republic.