'Medical Students with Different Opinions' "Feeling Concerned About the Totalitarian Atmosphere"

"Stop Collective Actions Without Public Sympathy"
Government Postpones Medical Licensing Exam by One Week... Medical Students Association "Will Continue Collective Actions"

Seoul Gwangjin-gu Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute building / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Amid ongoing opposition from the medical community regarding government policies such as the expansion of medical school quotas, some medical students have raised their voices, calling for an end to the collective actions that force group participation within the medical community.

A, the operator of the 'Medical Students with Different Opinions' page, explained the reason for forming the group on YTN Radio's 'Starting a New Morning' on the 1st, saying, "Medical students and residents are protesting and engaging in collective actions against the revision of medical policies. During this process, some medical students who felt a sense of problem and questioned the direction of this struggle?but could not speak out publicly due to the totalitarian atmosphere?gathered."

A explained the reason for issuing a statement titled 'The coercion of members to participate in unjustified collective actions must stop' on the previous day (the 31st of last month), saying, "The Korean Intern Resident Association expressed its intention to continue the collective action. Seeing that, I wanted to be the first to say that collective actions that fail to gain public sympathy should stop and everyone should return to their original positions."

He criticized, "During the process of investigating participation in the collective action, the student association required students to provide their affiliated school, grade, student ID number, and even real names. In the medical student community, there is already pressure to join this collective action, and conducting a vote with real names in such a situation not only eliminates the possibility of raising different opinions but could also act as a kind of social stigma for those who do not participate."

He added, "There were four options: 'Join if more than 50% of all medical students participate,' 'Join if more than 70% participate,' and 'No intention to participate.' I understand that the majority chose the '50%' or '70% or more participation' options, but the Korean Medical Student Association (KMSA) concluded that over 90% of students, including those who chose those options, would participate in the collective action," he pointed out.

He continued, "Since the results were made public, schools or grades with low participation rates experienced a kind of pressure. On SNS and anonymous communities, I saw criticism directed at schools or grades with low participation rates. This is more of an individual issue rather than a problem at the KMSA level," he emphasized.

On the 20th of last month, a third-year medical student from Seoul National University College of Medicine held a relay solo protest in front of the main building of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, with a statement supporting current medical issues and the strike of resident doctors placed beside them. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding a petition demanding no future relief for medical students who refused to take the national medical licensing exam, A said, "I think the biggest reason is that our collective action failed to gain public sympathy."

He added, "There is an actual medical service gap, and citizens are suffering damages because of it. I think this backlash may have produced such figures," he said.

Meanwhile, the government postponed the 85th National Medical Licensing Examination practical test, originally scheduled for 2021, by one week.

Kim Kang-rip, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, announced during an online briefing on the 31st of last month regarding the response to the residents' refusal to provide medical services, "To minimize the damage to medical students, the practical test of the medical licensing exam, originally scheduled for the 1st, will be postponed by one week and held from the 8th."

Vice Minister Kim explained, "There was insufficient time to accurately confirm the intention to cancel the exam, raising concerns about unnecessary harm to the futures of many students. We also considered that if such problems occur, it could affect hospitals' medical capabilities and citizens' access to medical care."

However, he added, "We are not considering a further postponement. Since this is the first time experiencing such a situation, there are inevitably considerable difficulties and limitations in preparing for it, and at present, it is difficult to consider additional measures or plans."

Despite the government's postponement, the KMSA stated its intention to continue the collective refusal to take the licensing exam. Cho Seung-hyun, president of the KMSA, said, "What the government announced is not a policy change but just a one-week postponement of the exam. Without a policy change, we will not stop the collective action. Our refusal to take the exam and allied leave are not intended to request a postponement of the exam," he said.

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