Dan Park, Who Led Collective Resident Resignations, Returns as Resident... Begins Work at Kyungpook National University Hospital

"I will do my best once again," Park announces return via SNS
Key figure who led residents' protest against medical school quota increase
Rejoins training as third-year resident after working in Ulleung County

Dan Park, the former Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Korean Interns and Residents Association who led the collective resignation protest of residents opposing the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's policy to expand medical school quotas, has returned to his position as a resident. Beginning on March 5, Park resumed his training as a third-year resident in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Kyungpook National University Hospital, reporting to the emergency room.

Through social networking services (SNS), he announced, "Starting today, I will be reporting to the emergency room at Kyungpook National University Hospital," adding, "I will do my best once again."

Dan Park, former emergency response committee chairman of the Korean Intern Resident Association, who led the collective resignation protest of medical residents in opposition to the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's policy to expand medical school quotas. Photo by Jo Yongjun

A graduate of Kyungpook National University School of Medicine, Park had been training as a resident in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University, when he resigned in protest of the government’s 2024 policy to increase the medical school quota by 2,000. For about one year and six months after that, he became a leading figure representing residents and medical students at the center of the conflict between the medical community and the government. In August 2023, he was elected president of the Korean Interns and Residents Association, and in February 2024, he was chosen as the Emergency Response Committee Chair, leading government protests such as the collective resignation of residents.

However, within the medical community, there were criticisms regarding his hardline stance. As concerns grew that he was not sufficiently representing residents’ opinions, he stepped down from all positions, including the role of Emergency Response Committee Chair, in June of last year.

At that time, Park stated, "Although I did my best over the past year and a half, it was not enough, and I only left people disappointed," adding, "I sincerely hope the situation will be resolved as soon as possible." Afterwards, he attempted to return to his residency. In September of last year, he applied for a resident position in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Severance Hospital but was not accepted. In October of the same year, he worked as a full-time physician at the emergency room of the Ulleung County Health Center. Then, in January of this year, he successfully applied for the higher-year resident recruitment at Kyungpook National University Hospital in the Department of Emergency Medicine as a third-year resident, officially rejoining the training program.

Within the medical community, there is speculation that Park’s return to residency training in pursuit of board certification, given his status as a symbolic figure who led the hardline protests during the conflict between the medical community and the government, may signal a practical end to the conflict that lasted more than one year and six months.

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