Lee Jae-myung: "Medical School Expansion Should Not Be a Political Show... Let's Not Use Fists for Matters That Can Be Resolved with Words"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, wrote on Facebook on the 25th that the government's plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 students is a conspiracy theory he called a "show" planned for the general election, and urged the government to "stop the 'suppression show'."

Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

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Lee said, "I hope the widespread suspicion that the government deliberately pushed for the 2,000 increase to provoke extreme reactions such as strikes, then suppresses them to compromise around the original target of about 500, using this political show to boost approval ratings for the general election, is not true." He added, "If this suspicion is true, it would be the worst case of state manipulation surpassing incidents like the Yangpyeong High-speed Road or the Chae Sang-byeong case, sacrificing the medical community and the public for political gain." He continued, "The economy is collapsing due to the regime's incompetence, yet the regime is causing social chaos. It is worrying and keeps me awake at night thinking about what they might do if they take control of the National Assembly and legislative power in this general election, given the current situation."

Lee also claimed, "The realistically acceptable scale of increase in the medical field is around 400 to 500 students," and said, "If it were not for the COVID-19 crisis, an increase of 400 to 500 students focused on public, essential, and regional medical care would have already been implemented during the Moon Jae-in administration." He added, "As a result of the Democratic Party's inquiries, it seems that the medical community would accept this level of increase if sufficient communication and coordination are achieved," emphasizing, "This means it is possible to resolve the issue through dialogue without social chaos caused by strikes and suppression. There is no need to resort to fists for something that can be solved with words, and it should not happen."

He also urged doctors to stop striking. Lee said, "Even if the strike goes beyond this, the expansion of medical school admissions is unavoidable, and doctors' strikes are difficult to accept from the public's perspective. Doctors should stop striking and return to medical practice."

According to the government, as of the 22nd, about 8,900 residents submitted resignation letters at the top 100 hospitals by number of residents, and among them, about 7,800 left their workplaces.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is pressuring doctors who have left their workplaces to return by mentioning suspension or cancellation of medical licenses. If the order to resume work is violated, under Article 66 of the Medical Service Act, the license may be suspended, or under Article 88, the violator may face imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won.

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