Prime Minister Jeong: "I Do Not Want a Single Medical Worker Punished... Time Is Limited"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun held a press conference on the morning of the 1st at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, addressing current issues such as COVID-19 and the medical sector strike. 2020.09.01 Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun urged the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Intern Resident Association, which have entered an indefinite collective strike, to return to work promptly, saying, "Currently, 10 residents are under indictment, but the government does not want any medical personnel to be punished."

On the 1st, Prime Minister Chung held a press conference at the Government Seoul Office and stated, "The government has the fundamental duty to uphold law and order, but as long as the government's authority is not significantly compromised, we intend to do our best to resolve this issue with a flexible attitude."

In response to reporters' questions about whether the indictments against the residents could be withdrawn, Prime Minister Chung replied, "Please understand the implicit meaning in my words that I hope no medical personnel will be sacrificed."

He added, "Yesterday, the government opened a support center for reporting damages caused by the collective strike, and within just a few hours, 48 damage cases were reported, of which 34 have been addressed," emphasizing, "The current situation must end as soon as possible to prevent further harm to the public."

He continued, "Time is running out. The longer it drags on, the more violations of laws and regulations will occur, and the public's inconvenience will increase," adding, "If the current situation continues, there will be no winners, only losers. I believe we must start by returning to the medical field promptly and caring for the patients waiting for medical services."

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