The Korean Medical Association: "Despair over Government's Work Commencement Order... Policy Must Be Withdrawn"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] On the 26th, as the medical community entered the second general strike, Lee Pil-su, Vice President of the Korea Medical Association (Chairman of the Jeollanam-do Medical Association), urged the government to withdraw its four major medical policies, including the expansion of medical school quotas, establishment of public medical schools, pilot project for insurance coverage of Korean herbal medicine prescriptions, and promotion of telemedicine, through a solo protest.

Lee, who held a solo protest in front of the National Assembly on Yeouidaero in Seoul that morning, said, "Before this general strike by the medical community, medical students have already declared collective leave of absence and refusal to take the medical licensing exam, giving up their future, and residents have also stepped out of hospitals to join the strike," adding, "The government must promise to withdraw these policies."

Lee expressed, "This morning, as the second general strike began, the government issued an order to resume work and pressured that medical licenses would be revoked if not complied with," and lamented, "If this behavior is what the government calls sincere dialogue, it can only lead to despair." He said, "If even one member goes on strike, the KMA must act as a shield to ensure that no medical student, resident, fellow, private practitioner, or employed doctor suffers any harm."

Lee also added, "Since there are many tasks for the normalization of Korean healthcare, such as realistic fee adjustments, prevention of violence against medical personnel, and compensation for no-fault medical accidents, I hope this general strike will be the beginning of the normalization of Korean healthcare."

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