PM accuses medical community of attempting to meddle in court hearings on med student quota hike
Doctors walk down a hallway at a hospital in Seoul, May 12. Yonhap
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Monday that the medical community's attempt to disclose the government's classified documents supporting its decision to increase the medical school admission quota is aimed at interfering with the ongoing court proceedings concerning the quota hike.
Last week, the government submitted relevant papers to the Seoul High Court documenting internal government discussions that led to the decision to add 2,000 more medical school admission seats starting next year.
The submission was made as the court is reviewing a request from the medical community to halt the planned increase, as opposing doctors argue the size of the increase was determined without sufficient scientific reasoning.
Legal representatives of the medical community have announced their intention to disclose the government documents to the media, the latest action by the medical community to garner public support for their campaign against the quota hike.
"It is an intention to pressure the judiciary and disrupt fair trials by manipulating public opinion," Han said during a meeting with government officials.
The prime minister further urged the medical community not to disclose the data indiscreetly, emphasizing that such actions could undermine the hearing procedures and impede judges from delivering a fair ruling.
The court is expected to make its decision within this week, possibly as early as later in the day.
Over 90 percent of the country's 13,000 trainee doctors have been on strike through mass resignations since Feb. 20, protesting the government's decision to significantly increase the medical school enrollment quota. In solidarity with medical interns and residents, medical professors at major general hospitals nationwide have joined the movement, crippling health care services at major hospitals across the nation. (Yonhap)