Democratic Party Draws a Line on Telemedicine, Saying "No Full-Scale Promotion"

[Asia Economy Reporter Won Dara] The Democratic Party of Korea has distanced itself from the possibility of fostering the telemedicine industry, stating that it has "not actively pursued it." This comes just one day after remarks by Lee Nak-yeon, chairman of the Democratic Party's COVID-19 National Crisis Response Committee, and Kim Yeon-myeong, senior secretary for social affairs at the Blue House, which raised expectations for the expansion of the telemedicine industry. The party appears to have taken emergency measures to quell strong opposition from organizations such as the Korean Medical Association.

On the 14th, Park Seong-jun, the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, relayed remarks from Policy Committee Chairman Jo Jeong-sik, saying, "Senior Secretary Kim mentioned that there were positive outcomes from providing non-face-to-face medical care to those who could not receive medical benefits due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), but this is a separate matter from actively promoting telemedicine." Park added, "It is more appropriate to use the term 'non-face-to-face medical care' rather than 'telemedicine.'"

Yoon Kwan-seok, senior deputy chairman of the Policy Committee, also told reporters, "We have never pursued telemedicine as a concrete policy nor have the party and government discussed it."

This contrasts with statements made by the Democratic Party on the 13th. At the 'Post-COVID-19 Era Untact Industry Strategy Forum' held at the National Assembly, Chairman Lee said, "COVID-19 will accelerate the spread of untact industries and broaden their scope," adding, "We must be substantially prepared even before the opening of the 21st National Assembly." He cited examples of untact industries including smart farms, smart factories, video conferencing, telecommuting, online classes, and non-face-to-face medical care.

On the same day, Senior Secretary Kim reportedly expressed a positive stance on telemedicine during a closed lecture at the National Assembly for the 21st Democratic Party lawmakers-elect titled 'Post-COVID-19 Outlook and Moon Jae-in Government Tasks' Innovation Forum. One attendee said, "There were concerns that introducing telemedicine might harm small hospitals, but it was not to that extent."

The Democratic Party's distancing from the expansion of the telemedicine industry appears to be a response to opposition from the medical community. Choi Dae-jip, president of the Korean Medical Association, declared on his Facebook, "I feel tremendous anger," and warned, "If the government pushes telemedicine, we will escalate to extreme protests." He criticized, "Doctors nationwide have been enduring severe stress for four months while providing care. Which government in the world tries to implement policies opposed by most doctors who risk their lives to treat patients?"

Meanwhile, Floor Leader Kim has emphasized the need for social grand compromise for the 'Post-COVID-19' era during the floor leader election process. At the untact industry strategy forum on the 13th, he mentioned the 'Tada controversy,' saying, "Conflicts arise in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution," and added, "We need to consider together how to share the benefits generated by innovative and new industries."

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