Politics, 10 Reported for Refusing to Start Work, Daejeon Association "There Were Workers Present" Pushback (Comprehensive)

Dispute Over Whether the Accused Performed the Task

Kim Hyun-sook, Director of Medical Resource Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare (left), is entering the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the morning of the 28th to submit a complaint against residents violating the work commencement order.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Following the government's prosecution of 10 residents who disobeyed the work commencement order, and the issuance of individual work commencement orders to 278 residents and fellows, the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) has rebutted, stating that some of the residents in question had returned to the field and were working for reasons such as assisting professors.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced on the 29th that based on the results of on-site inspections conducted the previous day at 20 training hospitals nationwide, work commencement orders were issued to 278 individuals who participated in the collective strike.

The government had earlier issued work commencement orders on the 26th targeting residents and fellows working at training hospitals in the metropolitan area, and expanded the scope to residents and fellows at training hospitals nationwide the following day.

If one fails to comply with the work commencement order without justifiable reason, they may face license suspension or imprisonment for up to three years, or a fine of up to 30 million won. In the case of medical personnel, if they receive a sentence of imprisonment or higher for violating the Medical Service Act, it is recognized as a disqualification reason and their license may be revoked.

KIRA began an indefinite strike on the 21st. As of the previous day, the strike rate was recorded at 75.8% for residents and 35.9% for fellows. The government filed complaints with the police against 10 residents for violating the work commencement order the previous day. Amid this, reports emerged that a resident at Hanyang University Hospital, who returned after self-quarantine following treatment of COVID-19 patients, was included among those prosecuted.

Students affiliated with the Korean Intern Resident Association held a group protest on the 7th at the entrance of Yeouido Park in Seoul, opposing the government's plan to increase the number of medical residents.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

KIRA Rebuttal: "Indiscriminate Prosecution Without Even Fact-Checking"
Government: "Prosecution Based on List of Unauthorized Absentees... Will Withdraw If List Is Incorrect"

KIRA claimed that many of the residents prosecuted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare were actually working at medical sites. According to KIRA, the prosecuted residents include those from the Neurosurgery Department at Chung-Ang University Hospital, Surgery Department at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Internal Medicine at Hanyang University Hospital, and Emergency Medicine at Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital.

A resident at Chung-Ang University Hospital participated in surgery for a patient with subarachnoid hemorrhage until dawn to assist the on-duty professor, and a fellow in the Surgery Department at Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital was responsible for ward duties until around 9 a.m. on the 25th and 26th and also reported to the ward on the 27th, KIRA stated. KIRA asserted, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare indiscriminately filed criminal complaints without even accurately verifying the actual work status of the 10 residents and fellows who were prosecuted."

Earlier, Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters' quarantine team, explained, "During the on-site inspection at training hospitals, records of unauthorized absences by the residents in question were confirmed, and although the hospital encouraged these residents to come to work, they did not. Based on the fact that they were not present at the hospital's medical site, prosecution measures were taken."

Kim Heon-ju, Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "The prosecution was based on the list of unauthorized absentees submitted by the training department of Hanyang University Hospital," adding, "If it was a case where the hospital's training department mistakenly identified a resident as absent without leave while they were actually in self-quarantine, the prosecution will be withdrawn." He further stated, "If the resident was absent without leave after completing self-quarantine, the police investigation process will determine whether to consider mitigating circumstances."

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is conducting additional verification of this case following the Hanyang University Hospital case and others.

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