"Getting Employed Despite Sexual Assault" Strengthening Punishment for Medical Professionals with Sexual Crimes, What Do You Think?

Medical Student Sentenced to Probation for Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Girlfriend Nears Graduation
Only 4 of 611 Doctors Caught for Sexual Crimes in Past 5 Years Faced License Suspension
Daejeon Medical Association Urges Stricter National Exam Eligibility Requirements

The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern reporter Juhyung Lim] As it became known that a medical student who was prosecuted for sexually assaulting his girlfriend and driving under the influence, and was sentenced to probation, is about to graduate, public opinion is rising that this medical student should be barred from taking the national medical licensing exam. This medical student has continued to participate in hospital internships and classes after the trial, and there are no restrictions on obtaining a medical license.

On the 22nd, a petition titled "Medical students who committed rape, assault, and drunk driving should not become doctors" was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board. The petition received over 17,000 endorsements within a day of posting.

In the petition, the petitioner wrote, "A (24), a fourth-year student at a medical school in Jeonbuk, was prosecuted on charges including rape, injury, and violation of the Special Act on Traffic Accident Handling, and was sentenced to two years in prison with three years of probation," adding, "As a citizen, I cannot help but feel physical and psychological threats when I think that someone who committed sexual assault receives such a light punishment and becomes a doctor to treat patients."

He continued, "In our country, it is almost impossible to permanently revoke a medical license even in cases of murder," and emphasized, "There is a need for measures to prevent such criminals from becoming doctors."

He also requested, "I hope the school expels (this student), and even if he graduates, the Ministry of Health and Welfare should prevent him from taking the national medical licensing exam or granting a license."

A was indicted on September 3, 2018, for assaulting and sexually assaulting his girlfriend B at a one-room apartment in Jeonju. At the time, A assaulted B by slapping her and strangling her after she said, "Let's not contact each other anymore." On May 11 of last year, he was also charged with drunk driving after causing an accident while driving intoxicated.

During the one year and seven months of the trial, A did not receive any disciplinary action from the school he was enrolled in and was confirmed to have attended hospital internships and classes, sparking controversy.

As this fact became known, calls to strengthen punishment for medical professionals who commit sexual crimes are growing louder.

A petition on the Blue House website requesting a ban on medical student A, who was sentenced to probation after being tried for sexually assaulting his partner, from taking the national medical licensing exam received over 17,000 signatures as of the morning of the 23rd.

Office worker A (30) said, "I would feel uneasy if my family were treated by a doctor with a sexual crime record," and argued, "Stronger punishment is necessary."

Another office worker B (28) said, "Professions dealing with life should apply strict moral standards, so I don't understand how someone who committed a sexual crime can still get a job normally," expressing frustration, "There needs to be a fundamental block to prevent sexual offenders from entering the medical field."

Current law does not include provisions for revoking licenses of medical professionals who commit sexual crimes. Article 8 of the Medical Service Act stipulates disqualifications for medical professionals such as drug addicts, persons under guardianship or limited guardianship, and violators of medical-related laws, but sexual crimes are not included. However, the Ministry of Health and Welfare can suspend a medical license for up to one year under Article 66 of the Medical Service Act for "acts that severely damage the dignity of medical professionals," which includes sexual crimes.

However, it is rare for doctors who commit sexual crimes to actually receive license suspension. According to the "Recent 5-year statistics on doctors caught for sexual crimes" released by the National Police Agency on February 2 last year, among 611 doctors caught for sexual violence crimes from 2014 to 2018, fewer than 1%?only 4 people?received license suspension.

According to data released by the National Police Agency on the 2nd of last year, the number of doctors arrested for sexual crimes nearly doubled from 83 in 2014 to 163 in 2018. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. / Photo by Yonhap News

On the other hand, the number of medical professionals caught for sexual crimes is rapidly increasing every year. According to the same data, the number of doctors arrested for sexual crimes nearly doubled from 83 in 2014 to 163 in 2018.

Currently, eight related Medical Service Act amendment bills are pending in the National Assembly, including those to restrict licenses of medical professionals who commit sexual crimes, restrict national exam eligibility for those disciplined for sexual crimes, disclose personal information of sexual offender medical professionals, and increase criminal penalties for grooming sexual offenses by medical professionals.

Meanwhile, experts emphasize the need to strengthen the medical community's self-regulatory authority to block unethical medical practices.

The Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) stated in its position on doctors who commit sexual crimes released on the 2nd, "Medical license holders can perform medical acts. To prevent medical professionals who commit sexual crimes from practicing medicine, the qualification requirements for the national exam must be strengthened to fundamentally block sexual offenders from entering, and thereafter, strong regulatory authority should be granted to expert groups to enable self-purification."

They added, "Strict ethical standards must be applied to medical professionals," and explained, "By strengthening the self-regulatory authority of the expert peer review system, unethical acts that the judicial system cannot see should be proactively detected by colleagues or fellow professionals, and licenses should be revoked."

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