Police Chief Issues Warning to Medical Community's Collective Action... "Arrest Warrants Also Considered"

All 112 Reports Trigger 'Code 1'
On-site Inspections at 9 Locations Including Severance Hospital
Focus on Verifying Actual Attendance of Residents

As the possibility of collective action by the medical community opposing the government's plan to increase the number of medical school students becomes more likely, the police have made it clear that they will respond strongly. All related 112 emergency calls will be dispatched under ‘Code 1 (immediate response)’, and they plan to ensure thorough and swift investigations, including notifying individuals to appear on the same day a complaint is filed.

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, stated at a regular press briefing held on the 19th regarding the medical community's collective action, “Since this issue is directly related to the lives and safety of the public, the role of the police is crucial.”

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Commissioner Yoon explained, “I have issued orders to all city and provincial police agencies nationwide to respond to any 112 calls related to the medical community's collective action with at least Code 1 or higher,” adding, “At minimum, mid-level managers or higher will be involved in the response, and in some cases, the police chief may personally take charge.”

The incident codes, classified into five levels (Code 0 to 4), serve as the most important indicator for on-site police officers to decide whether to dispatch. ‘Emergency calls’ classified as ‘Code 0’ (immediate dispatch) and ‘Code 1’ (priority dispatch) require immediate on-site response.

Commissioner Yoon also reiterated the importance of “swift investigation” concerning this situation. He said, “Considering the special nature of this case, we plan to send appearance requests via text message or registered mail to the parties involved on the very day a complaint is received,” emphasizing, “If a party indicates an intention not to appear, we will take strict measures, including applying for an arrest warrant in consultation with the prosecution.”

He added, “We are also considering stronger investigations against key figures leading the medical community's collective action,” and stated, “We will ensure that this situation does not escalate excessively or prolong, causing harm to the public.”

Furthermore, the police reported that they are currently tracking down the original poster of an online community post urging doctors to engage in collective action, applying charges such as obstruction of business. The post titled ‘Mandatory reading for residents coming to the hospital!!’ contained content encouraging striking doctors to delete and alter related electronic data to paralyze the system.

Meanwhile, the police will conduct on-site inspections at nine locations today, including Severance Hospital, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Hanyang University Hospital, Sanggye Paik Hospital, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, and Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital. Together with related agencies such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the police will focus on verifying whether residents who submitted resignation letters are actually reporting to work.

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