Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
4-way body to address medical dispute likely to launch next week
Han Dong-hoon, leader of the conservative ruling People Power Party, delivers a greeting message during the party's meeding with the Korea Employers Federation at the federation's office in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
Doctors’ groups show intent to join consultative body
A four-way body consisting of the two main political parties, the government and doctors' representatives will likely launch next week, according to officials, Tuesday.
Han Dong-hoon, head of the conservative ruling People Power Party (PPP), wrote Tuesday on Facebook, "I deeply appreciate the medical community's decision to participate in the four-way body by the Korean Medical Association and the Korea Medical University and Medical Graduate Association," adding that "the four-way council is expected to launch."
"We expect it to be a starting point for resolving the medical situation that has caused inconvenience to the people for a long time," Han said. "We respect the opinions of doctors that the management of medical schools and the autonomy of the Korea Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation should be fully guaranteed to foster good medical staff."
He added, "We should only think about the health of the people and solve the problem," and pledged, "We will do our best together with the power of our people."
Han officially proposed to the opposition party and the medical community on Sept. 6, saying, "Let's form a ruling-opposition council to resolve the medical gap and improve the regional and essential medical system."
Through a "four-way consultative body" involving both the ruling and opposition parties, the medical community and the government, it was intended to create measures to deal with medical disruptions and confusion caused by the current legislative conflict and fundamentally repair essential and regional medical systems.
Since then, Han has continued to persuade both sides as the government and doctors have failed to narrow their differences over issues such as increasing the medical student quota for 2025.