United Future Party's Kang Ki-yoon Meets with Resident Doctors' Association to Request 'Return to Field'

The Korean Intern Resident Association Emphasizes "Re-discussion from the Government's Original Sincerity"

On the 2nd, Kang Ki-yoon, a member of the Future United Party belonging to the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, is speaking at a meeting of the Korean Intern Resident Association. (Photo by Kang Ki-yoon)

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Choi Hyun-joo] Kang Ki-yoon, a member of the Future United Party and representative of Changwon Seongsan, along with members of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, which he serves as secretary, visited the Korean Intern Resident Association on the 2nd and held a meeting with them.

Attending the meeting were Kang Ki-yoon, Kim Mi-ae, Baek Jong-heon, Seo Jeong-sook, Lee Jong-seong, Jeon Bong-min, members of the Future United Party Health and Welfare Committee, and the executive members of the Korean Intern Resident Association.

Kang and other opposition members of the Health and Welfare Committee expressed their intention to renegotiate medical policies such as the expansion of medical school quotas and the establishment of public medical schools from scratch through consultations with the medical community and a bipartisan government-medical council, requesting that the interns promptly return to the medical field.

Regarding the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s police report filed on the 28th of last month against 10 interns for 'failure to comply with work commencement orders,' Kang expressed the government’s willingness to immediately withdraw the report to facilitate a smooth resolution of the situation.

He also suggested that the national medical licensing examination should be postponed until after the resolution of the medical strike issue to prevent a gap in doctor training, as 93.3% of eligible candidates canceled their applications.

In response, the Korean Intern Resident Association stated, “We carry a heavy heart for not being on the front lines during the COVID-19 crisis,” and expressed their willingness to return to work as soon as possible, adding that if the government sincerely renegotiates from the beginning, they can return to the medical field.

At the meeting, Kang criticized the Moon Jae-in administration for exacerbating internal conflicts during the COVID-19 battle.

Kang said, “This is a medical policy that can be decided after broad social discussions once the COVID-19 situation stabilizes. The Moon Jae-in government must properly recognize the severe reality and approach the resolution of the situation with a more humble attitude to normalize healthcare.”

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