Medical Association President's Hunger Strike... Medical Community Intensifies Opposition to Nursing Act

The day after the National Assembly plenary session passed the Nursing Act bill, on the 28th, the healthcare sector, which had opposed the enactment of the Nursing Act, intensified its criticism and escalated the level of protest. Lee Pil-su, president of the Korean Medical Association, began a full-scale hunger strike.

Lee Pil-su, President of the Korean Medical Association (left), has started a hunger strike.
[Photo by Korean Medical Association]

On that day, President Lee started his hunger strike at the tent protest site in front of the Korean Medical Association building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. He stated, "I have begun an indefinite hunger strike to convey the urgent crisis of healthcare collapse caused by the medical malpractice law and to resolutely protect the public's right to health," adding, "The Nursing Act undermines coexistence and harmony among healthcare professions and threatens the health and lives of the people."

Kang Yong-su, president of the Korean Emergency Medical Technicians Association and a member of the Health and Welfare Medical Solidarity, which includes 13 professional groups, also joined the hunger strike. President Kang expressed, "I deeply regret the passage of the Nursing Act in the National Assembly plenary session, which infringes on the duties of smaller professions and exacerbates confusion in the healthcare sector," and said, "Through our hunger strike, we will strongly demonstrate the Health and Welfare Medical Solidarity's determination to block this harmful medical law."

The Korean Medical Association's Emergency Response Committee also issued a separate press release demanding that President Yoon Seok-yeol exercise his right to request reconsideration (veto). The committee stated, "It has become clear that the Nursing Act alone and the license revocation law are unreasonable legislations that meet the conditions for exercising the right to request reconsideration, as announced by the presidential office," and added, "We expect the presidential office to make the right decision." Furthermore, they emphasized, "We firmly maintain our resolve to continue strong protests, even if it leads to a general strike, should the bill be finally enacted."

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