KMA: "Residents Urging Strike Suspension May Not Be Doctors"

On the 30th, a doctor is holding a solo protest at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, urging opposition to the government's medical policy, as the Emergency Response Committee of the Korean Intern Resident Association decided to continue the collective strike. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The Korean Medical Association has expressed the possibility that the Facebook account 'Working Residents,' which gained attention for appealing to residents to stop their strike on social networking services (SNS), may not actually be run by a real resident. On the 29th, the author, who identified themselves as a 'single resident,' posted a message titled 'This is enough,' urging residents who were enforcing a collective strike to stop as soon as possible, drawing the attention of netizens.

On the 31st, the Medical Association stated in a press release, "There have been reports from multiple members who communicated online with the operator of the 'Working Residents' page on SNS, suggesting that the person may not be a doctor," adding, "If this is an attempt to manipulate public opinion, it must be stopped."

The association said, "The 'Working Residents' operator claimed to be an orthopedic resident but lacked even basic anatomical knowledge of the hand," adding, "The eight bones located in the palm are a common exam topic in medical school, often memorized using acronyms derived from their English initials, such as 'Hoshitam-tam,' but the operator gave irrelevant answers when asked about this."

They also stated, "It is unreasonable that the operator, who claimed to be an orthopedic resident, answered that they were not familiar with the 'hand' (subu)," and "Regarding 'v/s,' which stands for vital signs such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate, and body temperature, the operator absurdly answered 'Personality-Thought-Respect-Heart'."

Kim Dae-ha, spokesperson for the Medical Association, said, "According to the reports, the operator appears to be neither a resident, a doctor, nor Korean," and added, "If this is true, it means someone impersonated a resident to manipulate public opinion regarding the residents' collective action."

Meanwhile, as suspicions intensified among residents from the early morning of the 30th, the page operator posted a message stating they would take a break for a while, along with the phrase "I am an individual, not Chinese, ○○○ ○saekki." Currently, the 'Working Residents' page has been deleted.

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