[2025 Audit] Dunamu CEO Oh Kyung-seok Apologizes for "Shortcomings in Medistaff Investment"

Investment in Platform Accused of Obstructing Residents' Return
"Oh Kyung-seok Apologizes for Causing Concern"

Oh Kyung-seok, CEO of Dunamu, which operates Upbit, the largest virtual asset exchange in South Korea, has issued an apology regarding the company’s investment in Medistaff, a medical platform embroiled in controversy over allegedly obstructing the return of medical residents.

On the 15th, at the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's audit, Han Jia, a member of the People Power Party, questioned Oh Kyung-seok, CEO of Dunamu, regarding investment in Medistaff. Photo by National Assembly Broadcasting System

On October 15, appearing as a witness at the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee’s audit, CEO Oh responded to criticism from Han Jia, a member of the People Power Party, who asked, “Is it responsible management for Dunamu, which claims to practice ethical management, to invest in Medistaff?” Oh stated, “We decided to invest to support the growth of domestic medical platforms, but in the end, there were shortcomings.”

Assemblywoman Han pointed out, “During the recent standoff between the government and the medical community, Medistaff served as a main channel for blocking residents and students who tried to return to hospitals. On the platform’s bulletin board, malicious posts such as ‘If you return, I will sexually assault you’ and ‘The child committed the crime, but the parents received the punishment’ were openly posted.” She continued, “Medistaff’s management strengthened security to make it difficult to trace the authors, thereby enabling slander. Has Dunamu, which invested 4.3 billion won in this platform, fulfilled its responsibilities as a company that claims ethical management?”

Medistaff is a closed, anonymous online community accessible only to doctors and medical students who have undergone credential verification. Since last year, during the standoff between the government and the medical community, the platform has been accused of enabling the so-called ‘medical blacklist’ incident by allowing slander and the dissemination of personal information about residents who did not participate in collective action. Medistaff CEO Ki Donghoon has been referred to the prosecution on these charges. In June, Dunamu acquired an 18.29% stake in Medistaff for 4.3 billion won.

When Assemblywoman Han asked, “Did you invest 4.3 billion won even after knowing that the CEO of Medistaff had been referred to the prosecution? What do you think of Medistaff’s ethical standards?” CEO Oh replied, “I apologize for causing concern. We conducted a comprehensive review, but it appears our assessment was insufficient.”

In response, Assemblywoman Han demanded that Dunamu submit the results of its assessment of the appropriateness of the Medistaff investment and its future action plan by October 30, before the final audit. CEO Oh answered, “We will submit them.”

Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyeong also stated, “I believe the way Medistaff is operated had a negative impact on the return of medical residents. We will prepare institutional improvement measures to prevent slander or interference with medical practice through social networking services (SNS) and submit them to the Assemblywoman’s office.”