"Utterly Absurd Itself" Active Doctor Criticizes Choi Dae-jip's 'General Strike' Warning

Current Doctor: "Association President Choi Dae-jip's Vaccine Refusal Statement Does Not Represent All Doctors' Opinions"

Choi Dae-jip, President of the Korean Medical Association, is giving a greeting at the 1st meeting of the Medical-Government Consultative Body held on the afternoon of December 2 last year at the main conference room of the Health and Welfare Human Resources Development Institute in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] A current physician has stated that the Korean Medical Association (KMA) President Choi Dae-jip’s threat of a general strike and other strong responses, in protest against the amendment to the Medical Service Act and refusal to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, do not represent the opinions of all doctors.

On the 25th, plastic surgeon Lee Joo-hyuk posted on his Facebook, urging people to "take an interest so that doctors can regain their tarnished honor," and emphasized, "The KMA president’s public threat to refuse COVID-19 vaccinations in opposition to the 'Medical Service Act amendment concerning license revocation for serious crimes' has caused controversy. However, such claims that use public health as a bargaining chip are by no means the common opinion of all doctors."

Regarding President Choi Dae-jip, he pointed out, "He was elected with only 6,400 votes out of 120,000 licensed doctors," adding, "The valid number of votes was only 15,000, so his total vote share was merely 5.3%." He further criticized, "Since the transition to a direct election system, KMA elections have relied on postal voting every time, and the reliability of this method has often been questioned."

He also criticized, "Even before taking office, President Choi clearly showed far-right political tendencies and maintained a consistent stance throughout his term as if engaging in anti-government political struggles. While individual doctors cooperated with the Disease Control Headquarters’ quarantine policies during the COVID-19 prevention period and volunteered in places like Daegu, the president repeatedly made absurd statements through the media, such as claiming 'unofficial doctors are advising this government,' which was nothing but nonsense."

Photo by Choi Dae-jip, captured from the Facebook page of the President of the Korean Medical Association

In particular, Lee also claimed that a faction has formed within the KMA. He said, "Whether they form factions or cliques is their freedom," but pointed out, "The problem is that these people, under the title of KMA president, continue anti-government struggles through the media, which causes all doctors to be perceived and condemned as a narrow-minded, selfish group."

Regarding the existence of such factions within the KMA, he stated, "If the KMA is being exploited to create factions, advertise politically extreme biases, and build political careers, that cannot be tolerated. Moreover, in the process, doctors have been pelted with criticism from the public as if they were ugly selfish people only concerned about their own interests."

He criticized, "The voices that have come from the doctors’ collective have often been regarded as a social nuisance, but that does not absolutely represent all doctors, and many problems have accumulated within."

On the 17th, at the Health and Welfare Committee plenary meeting held in the National Assembly, Chairman Kim Min-seok is striking the gavel. Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, on the 20th, the KMA issued a statement through the presidents of city and provincial medical associations nationwide, labeling the amendment to the Medical Service Act passed by the National Assembly’s standing committee as the 'license confiscation law,' and stated that if it passes the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, it "will cause significant obstacles to COVID-19 response." The KMA warned, "We will never accept the amendment that revokes doctors’ licenses," and "The amendment will push the Korean medical system into a greater crisis of collapse."

They added, "If the bill is approved by the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the KMA will lead a nationwide general strike and full-scale struggle," emphasizing, "This will cause extreme resentment among the KMA’s 130,000 members who protect the health and lives of the public by supporting COVID-19 diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination cooperation, thereby causing significant obstacles to COVID-19 response."

On the morning of August 23 last year, resident doctors opposing the government's medical policy were waiting to take off their white coats in front of the main building of Seoul National University Hospital's university clinic in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News.

On the 19th, the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee held a plenary session and passed the amendment to the Medical Service Act. The main points include revoking the license of doctors sentenced to imprisonment or higher for five years.

Additionally, those who commit sexual crimes against minors will be prohibited from obtaining medical licenses, and if a medical professional falls under this category, their license will be revoked and permanently confiscated. However, if a medical professional commits a crime such as involuntary manslaughter or injury due to negligence during medical practice, even if sentenced to imprisonment or higher, their license will not be subject to revocation. The amendment is scheduled to be submitted to the plenary session after passing through the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee.

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