KMA, "President Yoon's Government Medical Reform Aims for Medical Commercialization"

"Please visit the site and make your own judgment, as the President said"

The medical community raised voices of criticism against President Yoon Seok-yeol, who reiterated his firm commitment to increasing the number of medical school admissions during a press conference.

A tent is set up in front of the Korean Medical Association building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Taewon Choi peaceful1@

On the 29th, Chaedong-yeong, Director of Public Relations and Deputy Spokesperson of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), said at a daily briefing held in front of the KMA building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, "Today, the president again said there is no problem in the medical field. He told us to visit the sites ourselves," adding, "Now, the public should make their own judgment. As the president said today, I hope people will visit the medical sites directly and deeply understand the Yoon administration’s firm resolve to steadily move forward toward medical commercialization without wavering."

Earlier that day, President Yoon said at a press conference regarding recent concerns that the shortage of personnel in the medical field has reached its limit, "It seems like the claims of those who firmly oppose increasing medical school admissions," and added, "It would be best to visit the medical field once."

He also argued that the government’s ambition for medical reform was revealed that day with the nomination of former Constitutional Court Justice Ahn Chang-ho as the Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission. In 2021, while working as a lawyer, Ahn served as the attorney for a constitutional complaint arguing that banning 'office worker pharmacies' was unconstitutional. He is also known to have responded that there is "room for consideration" regarding the allowance of 'office worker hospitals and pharmacies.'

Director Chae emphasized, "The government, which had hidden its ambition for medical commercialization, has finally revealed it," and added, "They have been steadily preparing necessary measures such as non-reimbursable claim agency services, increasing medical school admissions, the Nursing Act, and 6,600 new hospital beds in the metropolitan area."

He continued, "If the number of medical school admissions increases by 2,000, the current Korean medical system, which was affordable and of good quality, will collapse, and patients will no longer be able to endure it, turning instead to commercialized hospitals," adding, "President Yoon is completing that final stage faster than any other leader."

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