Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Yoon meets head of trainee doctors' group to find solution to medical standoff
President Yoon Suk Yeol salutes to the national flag during a policy review meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
Head of junior physicians' association voices disappointment
President Yoon Suk Yeol met Park Dan, head of the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), Thursday, to explore ways to address the months-long walkout by junior doctors in protest against the government's push to increase the number of medical students.
However, the meeting evidently concluded with the government and trainee doctors acknowledging their differences, as Park left comments implying that no progress had been made toward ending the standoff.
According to presidential spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung, Yoon and Park engaged in discussions from 2 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. during their closed-door talks concerning the government’s proposal to raise the current annual admissions quota of medical schools by 2,000, resulting in a total of 5,058 slots.
The spokesperson also said in a brief text message to reporters, "Park delivered trainee doctors' opinions to the president, especially on the difficult working environment and poor compensation, and Yoon listened carefully."
In another text message, the spokesperson said, "President Yoon decided to respect the position of trainee doctors when the government consults with the medical community over reforms, including the quota expansion."
During their meeting, Yoon reportedly asserted the necessity of increasing the number of doctors in the country, while Park reiterated demands by trainee doctors to scrap the policy.
The meeting came two days after the presidential office said Yoon would like to meet junior doctors for candid conversations without limiting subjects in a bid to end the standoff between the government and doctors, which has left the country’s medical services in a state of disruption for nearly 50 days.
Until Wednesday, KIRA did not respond to the offer for talks, while other medical groups, such as the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and the Medical Professors Association of Korea, raised various opinions on whether the trainee doctors' association should meet Yoon.
On Thursday morning, Park sent a message to KIRA’s emergency committee members stating that he would meet Yoon and the meeting “may be worthwhile as we can deliver the stance of junior doctors” before the April 10 general elections.
However, he stated that the current medical standoff was triggered by Yoon’s drive to expand the medical school quota, and there will be “no change” in KIRA’s stance that the government should fully scrap the plan. He added any decision will be made through a vote by all KIRA members.
Park Dan, second from left, head of the Korean Intern Resident Association, attends a meeting at the Korean Medical Association headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul, March 31. Yonhap
After the meeting, Park wrote on Facebook, "There is no future in Korea's medical services," without providing further explanations regarding his meeting with the president.
The comment coincided with skepticism that chances of the talks resolving the conflict quickly are slim. This is because the president has maintained an unwavering position on the 2,000 additional annual slots, while trainee doctors are demanding that the government scrap the plan.
The government has already finished distributing the additional slots to medical schools across the country, and universities are now setting up requirements for next year’s admissions, with their deadline set for April 30.
With less than a week remaining until the general elections, reversing the quota hike policy would be detrimental for Yoon, as it could lead to significant confusion in college admissions and unsettle both students and their parents. Such a move would deal a critical blow to the ruling bloc's campaign, which is already facing challenging circumstances.
Doctors face a similar situation.
“There’s a chance that the government might spin today’s meeting as if it proceeded positively and amicably,” KIRA said in a statement before the meeting.
“However, as we've been saying consistently for the past seven weeks, if it turns out that the government was snubbing our demands, we'll simply respond by stating we still couldn’t find common ground and revert back to our original position. Nothing will change today.”
Yoon's precondition for a potential reduction in the quota policy is also contributing to the elusive nature of an immediate settlement.
During Monday’s address to the nation, Yoon said the government can scale down the number of slots, if doctors propose “a rational plan that contains the unified idea of the medical community.”
Doctors are saying this is a very difficult precondition, because their fundamental demand is reconsidering the policy from scratch, while different medical associations are voicing varied opinions on the appropriate number of admissions in the medical school quota.
Ryu Ok Ha-da, a trainee doctor who resigned, said 64 percent of 1,581 junior doctors or medical students who answered his own survey, agreed that the quota should be reduced. KMA Chairman Lim Hyun-taek said the quota should be reduced by 500 to 1,000 admissions.
On the other hand, the professors’ association is more open to Yoon’s policy, with its chief Kim Chang-soo saying the medical community’s demand for scrapping the quota hike does not necessarily mean that the number should remain as it is.