"We'll Show You Hell"... Retaliation Threats Posted on Doctor and Medical Student Communities

Medical License and Student Verification Required for Membership
"We Will Ostracize Colleagues Who Returned First"

As a conciliatory atmosphere has developed between the government and the medical community following the launch of the new administration, some residents and medical students have begun to return to their hospitals and schools. However, a number of highly provocative posts have appeared on doctor and medical student online communities, threatening to ostracize those who have returned first, sparking controversy.

On July 10, several online communities shared screenshots of posts from 'Medistaff,' an online community exclusively for doctors and medical students. The most problematic post was titled "Gamgyuls, here we come." The term "Gamgyul" is a slang expression used to mock residents who remained at hospitals or medical students who have returned to school. The author wrote, "If you go back, I'm going to XX (rape) you."

Medistaff post. Online community capture

Another user commented, "Even if you return, any Gamgyul who crawled back first will be excluded from the class. This all happened because of you." Other posts included statements such as, "Gamgyuls must be thoroughly excluded from the class in the school residency. Make sure to do this to any Gamgyul around you," "Gamgyuls, get ready. We'll show you what hell is," "We're finally going to hunt down the Gamgyuls. We're returning soon. All the Gamgyuls are finished," and "For Gamgyuls, even if they share the same department room, no one will talk to them and they'll be treated like invisible people in the future."

Additional posts read, "We're also set to return in September, but the Gamgyuls are throwing away their lifelong connections just to go back early," and "When we return to the department, the March Gamgyuls will be thoroughly excluded from the class. All the second- to fourth-year residents are out, but you, the prospective first-year, went in alone. You can study and see patients by yourself. We won't back you up."

Medistaff is an online community exclusively for doctors and medical students, requiring verification of a medical license or student status to join. When capturing the screen with a mobile phone, the member's contact information is watermarked, and when using a computer, the logged-in ID is watermarked. However, in the recently shared screenshots, the watermarks have been blurred.