KMA: "Yoon-Jeong-ui Meeting Meaningful... Resident Representative Not Positive"

"Resident Representative Explains 7 Demands Previously Raised to Yoon"
"Request to 'Reconsider Increase Scale,' Calls for Suspension of Increase Process"

The Emergency Response Committee of the Korean Medical Association evaluated the meeting between President Yoon Seok-yeol and Park Dan, the Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Korean Intern and Resident Association, as a meaningful occasion. However, they drew a line by stating that unlike the positive assessment released by the presidential office after the dialogue, it seemed that Chair Park did not view it positively.

On the 7th, attendees of the 7th Emergency Countermeasures Committee meeting to block the increase in medical school quotas are waiting for the start of the closed session at the Korean Medical Association in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Medical Association's Emergency Response Committee announced this after a briefing following a meeting that lasted about three hours from 2 p.m. on the 7th. Attending the meeting in person were Kim Taek-woo, Chair of the Medical Association's Emergency Response Committee, Park Dan, representative of the interns and residents, and Kim Chang-soo, Chair of the National Council of Medical School Professors, while Lim Hyun-taek, the president-elect of the Medical Association, participated online.

Kim Seong-geun, the Emergency Response Committee's Public Relations Officer, said, "We evaluate the meeting between the President and Park Dan, Chair of the Korean Intern and Resident Association's Emergency Response Committee, as a meaningful encounter," adding, "The Emergency Response Committee of the Medical Association once again declares that it supports the positions of interns, residents, and students and speaks with one voice."

Regarding some criticisms that the meeting ended without any achievements, he explained that they positively evaluate the meeting itself. Chair Kim said, "The perspective seems to differ depending on how one defines the nature of the meeting," adding, "The Emergency Response Committee suggested that the President meet directly with interns and residents, and subsequently, the President responded positively, and the interns and residents reciprocated, leading to the meeting."

He continued, "I think the significance of the meeting ends there, and we briefly confirmed the contents of the meeting at today's session," adding, "Therefore, I say that we view the meeting positively."

According to Chair Kim, Chair Park stated at the meeting that the encounter with the President on the 4th was an occasion to explain the seven demands that the interns and residents had been advocating.

Although the meeting itself was evaluated positively, unlike the presidential office, Chair Park did not view the meeting positively, he conveyed. Earlier, Chair Park posted a brief message on his personal social media immediately after the meeting with President Yoon, saying, "There is no future for Korean medical care." Chair Kim explained, "After the meeting, the presidential office gave a very positive evaluation through a written briefing, but from Chair Park's standpoint, it was a meeting that could not be evaluated so positively."

He reiterated that the medical community's demand is to reconsider the medical school expansion from the beginning. He said, "The government is asking us to send a unified proposal from the medical community, but we have consistently requested a 'reconsideration of the scale of expansion,'" adding, "Regarding the expansion of 2,000 students, the Ministry of Education's process must be stopped first."

He also positively evaluated Prime Minister Han Duck-soo's remarks in a media interview that day, stating, "The government clearly maintains a position of not being fixated on numbers." He said, "Han's remarks that day can be interpreted as not insisting on 2,000," adding, "However, although the government says it is open to 2,000, hasn't it never stopped administrative processing? The government must stop the process and show sincerity for interns, residents, and medical students to return to their original positions."

He urged the government to change its attitude swiftly, noting that there is little time left on the ground. He said, "The responsibility for this situation lies with the government, as it has dragged on for almost two months over an issue that could be resolved with a little concession from the government," adding, "The limited manpower to sustain this is almost exhausted. The government needs to show a progressive change in attitude."

He also announced that the Medical Association, medical school professors, interns, residents, and students will hold a joint press conference to express their stance. Chair Kim said, "Organizations that have been voicing their opinions individually, such as the Medical Association's Emergency Response Committee, the Korean Medical School Professors Association, the Korean Intern and Resident Association, and medical students, will gather centered on the Medical Association to hold a joint press conference next week," adding, "It will probably be after the general election."

Meanwhile, Chair Park, who attended the meeting that day, responded to reporters' questions about the meaning of the post-meeting message by saying, "I have nothing special to say."

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