Will Medical-Government Conflict Find Common Ground? Han Sungjon Elected as New Acting Chairman

KIRA Elects Han Sungjon, Representative of Resident Doctors at Seoul Asan Medical Center
"Realistic Judgment Needed" ? Indicates Possibility of Pragmatic Negotiations

Han Sungjon, the representative of resident doctors at Seoul Asan Medical Center, has been elected as the new acting chairman of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA).

According to the medical community on June 27, KIRA held an extraordinary general assembly of delegates the previous day and elected Han as the new acting chairman. KIRA plans to officially approve the election of the new acting chairman and related agenda items at an offline delegates' general assembly on June 28.

Representative Han Sungjon, a resident doctor at Seoul Asan Medical Center, appeared for police witness questioning. Photo by Yonhap News

Previously, Park Dan, the former acting chairman of KIRA, stepped down from the position on June 24, stating, "I intend to resign from all positions." At the time, Park shared interviews with Han and others on her Facebook page, suggesting a rift between them by writing, "I thought we were colleagues and friends who struggled together for a year and a half, but perhaps I was mistaken." In this interview, Han criticized Park for a lack of communication.

After Park's resignation, Han convened an extraordinary general assembly of delegates together with the representatives of resident doctors from Severance Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, and Korea University Hospital.

In a statement announcing the assembly, Han emphasized, "The longer the current situation continues, the greater the risk that we will fail to protect the resident doctors who have suffered. The loss of negotiating power due to the disintegration of students could lead to irreversible consequences. Now that a new government has taken office, this is the right time to prevent further disorder and restore the collapsed medical system in Korea."

Although it is difficult to predict the immediate direction of the new acting leadership, the departure of the previous hardline leadership suggests that future conflicts between the medical community and the government may enter a new phase.

Han has previously indicated the possibility of pursuing pragmatic negotiations, stating that "realistic judgment is necessary." With little time remaining until the start of recruitment for new residents in the second half of the year (September), which begins at the end of July, the new acting leadership is expected to accelerate dialogue with the government.

Han's demands to the government include: ▲ a review of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's essential medical policy package and medical reform implementation plan; ▲ improvement of the poor training environment for resident doctors and ensuring continuity of training; and ▲ expanding and institutionalizing the proportion of physicians in healthcare governance.