Will newly elected KMA chief bring ray of hope in breaking stalemate?

Newly elected leader pledges to respect junior doctors, students' voices in handling standoff

Park Hyung-wook, the newly elected chief of the emergency committee of the Korean Medical Association, delivers a victory speech at the association's headquarters in Yongsan, central Seoul, Wednesday. (Newsis)

A week after a leadership change at Korea's largest doctors group, eyes are on whether the newly elected chief can break through a yearlong impasse and make progress in producing tangible results with the government, after the incoming leader pledged to respect junior doctors' and students' voices in handling the standoff.

 

Drawing a line between himself and his controversy-ridden predecessor, who he says failed to protect the interests of the medical circle, Park Hyung-wook, who heads the Korean Medical Association's emergency leadership committee system, said he would ask Park Dan, the chief of the junior doctors' group, and a representative for medical students to join a committee comprising 15 members.

In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Park Hyung-wook said he plans to ask trainee doctors and medical students if they wish to continue protesting or negotiate with the government.

"We must stop bossing them around. If they wish to go back (to hospitals or schools), we can't stop them from doing it. I will respect their opinions as much as possible, and I don't think pushing actions that face strong opposition from relevant stakeholders is appropriate," Park underscored.

As medical circles confront a rift at this critical juncture in bringing out unified measures, the KMA president stressed that the opinions of junior doctors and students who have been marginalized for months now should be heard, while the medical sector should also refrain from pointing fingers at each other.

Previously, the Korean Intern Resident Association leader criticized former KMA leader Lim Hyun-take over his handling of the standoff. At that time, Lim said that communications with medical circle members would be coordinated through a unified channel, with the KMA at the center. Lim, however, failed to reflect their opinions amid the continued deadlock.

In another case, an emergency committee of professors at Seoul National University faced backlash from peers for hosting a debate session with government officials last month, including Jang Sang-yoon, the senior presidential secretary for social policy, which ended with nothing to show.

"The utmost importance is to respect each other's opinions and avoid criticizing each other," the KMA chief said.

In the meantime, the new doctors' group head also urged the government to apologize for causing the medical stalemate.

"It was revealed that the decision to add 2,000 more seats in medical school admissions was finalized on Feb. 6, right before the government announced the quota hike. The government also blocked junior doctors who resigned from finding new jobs, threatening their livelihoods and violating their human rights."

Meanwhile, the Korean Medical Student Association was set to hold a general meeting later in the day to discuss returning to classrooms in March next year -- when the new semester for the 2025 academic year starts, which also marks a year since their boycott by taking leave.

Apart from discussing the resumption of their studies, the meeting will also discuss how to resolve the conflict, consider ways to safeguard medical students' rights and interests and determine the association's future course of action.

Representatives from 40 medical school student councils and other students will participate in the meeting, according to the KMSA.

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)