PPP Ihn Yo-han’s text message requesting surgery sparks controversy amid medical crisis

Ihn Yo-han, the Supreme Council member of the People’s Power Party, looks at a text message on his mobile phone during PPP floor leader Choo Kyung-ho\'s speech at the plenary session of the National Assembly on September 5. Yonhap News

A cell phone text message showing Ihn Yo-han, the supreme council member of the ruling People’s Power Party (PPP), requesting surgery for a specific patient was captured by the media on September 5. In a situation where there are concerns about medical disruptions due to the medical-political conflict over the issue of the increase in medical school admissions, the text message, which appears to show the member in the ruling party’s leadership granting an acquaintance's request for surgery. The opposition parties linked Ihn's text to the ruling party's lukewarm response to the “medical crisis,” criticizing it, saying, "The government and the ruling party can get away with it in this way."

Ihn was caught in the media looking at a mobile phone message during a speech by Choo Kyung-ho, the floor leader of the PPP, at the plenary session of the National Assembly. Ihn received a text message saying, “The patient you asked for is in surgery. If it was a little late, the patient would have died. The condition is too critical, so I'm worried about whether the patient will survive after the surgery,” and he expressed his appreciation in a reply. It is unclear who sent the text to Ihn or which medical institution received the request. Changing the order of reception at a hospital could constitute an improper request under the Anti-Graft Act, depending on the organization or entity receiving the request.

Kim Han-kyu, the lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), posted a photo of Ihn's text message on his social media account, criticizing that “the ruling party's council member had a way. It seems that the government and the ruling party, which think ‘If we endure, we will win,’ can get away with it like this.” He added, “What about our people, is this a country?”
Kim's posting is interpreted as pointing out the lukewarm response of the government and the ruling party to the recent medical crisis. The idea is that patients are suffering while waiting for treatment at hospitals, while influential political figures can avoid such difficulties by asking a personal favor. Kim, who has recently lost his father who used to be a surgeon, said his father also suffered from the medical disruption.
When asked by reporters at the National Assembly if the patient who asked for the surgery was an acquaintance, Ihn explained, "The pastor, who is not an acquaintance, knew my phone number and asked, ‘Is the doctor trustful?' and I said, 'He's a very good doctor.'" He added, “(The pastor) asked, 'I'm going to have surgery because my operating surgeon was chosen, and can I ask you to call the doctor?' and I said, ‘I’ll call him.’” Ihn also said, "Since the doctor and I know each other, there is nothing else other than 'Please take good care of the surgery.’”

When asked if “the surgery was not an emergency but was originally scheduled,” he said, “I get a few calls a week like this, ‘Is the professor reliable?’ and I say, ‘He is a reliable doctor.’ Then they say, ‘Do you know him? Please give him or her a call for me.’”
Yoo Chul-hwan, chairman of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, attended the National Assembly's Budget and Accounts Committee on the same day responded to DPK lawmaker Jang Cheol-min's question, “Is it a violation of the Anti-Graft Act for a lawmaker to request a hospital to perform surgery?” saying, "If it violates the guidelines, of course, it could be a violation."

Ihn is a physician who is a professor of family medicine and director of the International Medical Center at Yonsei University Severance Hospital. Since June, he has been listening to opinions from the medical community on the issue of increasing medical school admissions while serving as the chairman of the PPP’s Special Committee on Medical Reform. It is also reported that Ihn initially proposed a grace period for the increase of medical school admissions in 2026, which was proposed by PPP leader Han Dong-hoon, as a solution to the medical-political conflict.

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.