Welfare Vice Minister: "Search and Seizure Not a Measure to Pressure Doctors... Will Only Focus on the People"

Government Raids Met with Resistance from Korean Medical Association
"Medical Reform to Be Completed Without Wavering"

The Korea Medical Association (KMA) criticized the police raid using expressions such as "oppression of freedom and human rights," prompting the government to respond that "this is not a measure to pressure doctors."

Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Photo by Yonhap News

On the 2nd, Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, sent a text message to reporters saying, "The KMA is making extreme remarks such as 'standing on the edge of a cliff' and 'oppression of freedom and human rights' regarding the police raid on the KMA. I would like to explain the meaning of the government's recent measures."

Vice Minister Park pointed out, "Some medical professionals are engaging in illegal collective actions demanding the withdrawal of the government's medical reform and are inciting and abetting the collective actions of their juniors."

He added, "The raid on the KMA was a measure taken by the police, the investigative authority, following the Ministry of Health and Welfare's complaint, to accurately identify who led the illegal collective actions and the extent of their involvement. It is by no means an action to intimidate the KMA or pressure all doctors."

He further stated, "The government will focus solely on the people and complete the medical reform unwaveringly according to law and principles."

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit executed search warrants on five current and former KMA executives, including Kim Taek-woo, Chairman of the KMA Emergency Response Committee (Chairman of the Gangwon Medical Association), Joo Su-ho, Media and Public Relations Chairman of the KMA Emergency Response Committee, and Park Myung-ha, Organization Strengthening Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee (Chairman of the Seoul Medical Association), the day before.

This followed the Ministry of Health and Welfare's complaint to the police on the 27th of last month, accusing these five individuals of violating the Medical Service Act, obstruction of business under the Criminal Act, incitement, and abetting.

In response, the KMA issued a statement expressing strong anger at the government's oppression of freedom and human rights, stating that "the 140,000 doctors have realized that they are not recognized as free citizens in the Republic of Korea" and that "they are standing on the edge of a cliff with no place to retreat."

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