Ikukjong "I Will Resign as Center Director"... Draws Line on Entering Politics and Moving to Other Hospitals

Lee Guk-jong (51), Professor at Ajou University Hospital [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Seong-yeol] Professor Lee Guk-jong (51) of Ajou University Hospital announced that he will step down from his position as head of the trauma center in the southern Gyeonggi region.

According to a report by Dong-A Ilbo on the 20th, Professor Lee stated, "I will resign from the position of center director upon returning to the hospital next month. I will no longer be involved in the operation of the trauma center going forward."

Professor Lee participated in naval maritime training as an honorary lieutenant colonel for a month starting last December and returned on the 15th. He was scheduled to return to work on the 1st of next month.

Regarding his mid-term resignation with about a year left in his term as trauma center director, he said, "(All the hospital executives) want me to quit and say, 'If you just keep quiet, everyone will be happy,'" adding, "I thought this was the best option, and I no longer want to be involved in trauma surgery-related work," as reported by Dong-A Ilbo.

Professor Lee revealed, "I had already decided to quit when I spoke at last year's national audit."

He continued, "It was very difficult to go around begging the hospital administration team for beds because there were none available," and said, "Even when meeting government officials, I was devastated to hear them say, 'You shouldn't do that.'"

He mentioned his apology to fellow medical staff as a reason for his resignation.

He stated, "Our nurses endured situations where their fingers were broken and their skin torn every day to board the doctor helicopter," and added, "It was mentally tough because they were ordered to board daily despite the obvious hardships."

Furthermore, Professor Lee said that even if he steps down as trauma center director, he will not leave Ajou University Hospital. He denied moving to another hospital, mentioning that he had rejected an offer from a large hospital in Seoul back in 2011.

Regarding rumors about entering politics, he responded, "There are strange stories being spread, but they are nonsense. I will quietly live as a regular professor."

He informed, "I will live my life as a regular professor, focusing on clinical work and lectures," and added, "I will work while aligning as much as possible with hospital policies."

Lastly, Professor Lee said, "I thank everyone. I also apologize to the Ajou University Hospital staff who were troubled because of me," and explained, "The recent release of recorded abusive language was not intentional on my part. It is absolutely untrue that I did it deliberately. I take responsibility for it and am resigning."

He added, "I feel sorry for the nurses who worked until they were near death. Ultimately, the biggest regret is that I could not secure additional nursing staff and that my role as center director has ended."

Previously, Professor Lee had conflicts with Yoo Hee-seok, director of Ajou University Medical Center, over issues such as the number of trauma patient beds and the operation of the doctor helicopter. The controversy escalated after a recording of Director Yoo verbally abusing and insulting Professor Lee was reported on the 13th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.