Opposition party urges president not to overuse veto power
Rep. Park Kwang-on, right, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly, Monday. On the left is DPK Chairman Rep. Lee Jae-myung. Yonhap
Health ministry says Nursing Act hinders cooperation in medical field
By Jun Ji-hye
Rep. Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), urged President Yoon Suk Yeol not to overuse his veto power, Monday, as the president is widely expected to veto the opposition-led Nursing Act during a Cabinet meeting set for Tuesday amid strong protests from doctors and nursing assistants who are opposed to the law.
Rep. Park said during a party meeting that Yoon's possible veto shows his ignorance regarding the National Assembly.
“The president should exercise his veto power carefully and not overuse it,” he said.
The floor leader noted that the legislation of the Nursing Act was one of Yoon's election pledges, urging the president to sign it into law at the Cabinet meeting.
The comments came as the ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the government decided to ask the president to veto the act.
Explaining their reasoning behind the decision, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said during a media briefing later in the day that the act, which has sharply divided the medical community, would hinder trust and cooperation, and cause conflict and confusion in the medical profession.
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong speaks during a media briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
“In this case, the people's health would be seriously threatened,” Cho said. “Separating nursing from medical services by law would make it more difficult for patients to receive sufficient nursing services at medical institutes.”
Independent from the Medical Services Act, the Nursing Act is aimed at clarifying the scope of nurses' duties and improving their working conditions.
The DPK, which controls more than half of the 300-seat National Assembly, unilaterally approved the bill for the law in a plenary session on April 27, despite a boycott by the PPP and fierce opposition from doctors and other medical workers, especially nursing assistants.
The DPK has sided with nurses who have long complained that ambiguities concerning their roles and duties, as stipulated in the Medical Services Act, have increased their workload.
On the other hand, the PPP and the government said the bill failed to reflect the opinions of the various parties involved, resulting in divisions in the medical community.
If President Yoon vetoes the bill, it will become his second veto since taking office.
The president exercised his first veto in early April against a contentious bill requiring a government purchase of surplus rice. The Assembly held a revote to override the presidential veto, but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to do so.
The Korean Nurses Association threatened to take collective action, including the suspension of physician assistants' work, if Yoon vetoes the Nursing Act.
Physician assistants play an important role in operating rooms, according to the association.
Representatives of the Korean Nurses Association hold signs calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol to sign the Nursing Act into law during their hunger strike in front of the association's building in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap