The Chairman of the Medical Association's Emergency Committee Public Relations Committee Appears Before Police: "Nothing to Hide, No Reason to Conceal"

"Expecting the Government to Change Its Stance"

Amid the medical-government conflict over the increase in medical school admissions, Joo Su-ho, the Public Relations Committee Chairman of the Korean Medical Association's Emergency Response Committee, who was accused of violating the Medical Service Act and other charges, appeared at the police station on the 6th.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit summoned Chairman Joo to the station in Mapo-gu for questioning, marking the first investigation among the five current and former KMA executives reported by the government. Earlier, the police imposed a travel ban on the five accused and requested their appearance at the police station on the 6th and 7th.

Before entering the station, Chairman Joo told reporters, "I came comfortably because there is literally nothing to hide and no reason to hide anything. The government authorities and civic groups who reported the representatives of the medical community will be greatly embarrassed. There is actually nothing to come out with."

He stated, "Since I never instigated the collective resignation of residents, the charge of instigation does not hold," adding, "Abetment refers to the government defining the residents' voluntary resignation as a collective resignation and us knowing about it but remaining silent. The MZ generation is a new type of people. They do not follow the seniors' complaints and are anxious that if seniors say something wrong, it might seem like nagging. In this situation, claiming that we abetted or instigated the juniors is different from the essence."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also said, "The current situation was already anticipated since the introduction of Korea's medical insurance, which started with brutally low reimbursement rates," and added, "The doctors' 2024 movement is a nonviolent, nonresistant, voluntary resignation movement. I hope the government will break its stubbornness and come to the dialogue table quickly without undermining the meaning of 'voluntary resignation.'"

The police's forced investigation follows the Ministry of Health and Welfare's complaint on the 27th of last month against Chairman Kim and four others for violating the Medical Service Act, obstruction of business under the Criminal Act, instigation, and abetment.

The government viewed them as instigating and abetting collective action by supporting and legally assisting the residents' collective resignation.

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