Steadfast or stubborn? Yoon pursues controversial policies before April elections

President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with citizens at a traditional market in Masan, South Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. Yonhap

As the April 10 general elections approach, President Yoon Suk Yeol is championing contentious policies, including the expansion of annual enrollment quotas at medical schools and the abolition of the gender equality ministry.

Yoon's assertive push is evoking conflicting responses. While supporters commend the president for his resolute approach in implementing what the administration deems necessary, critics argue that his insistence and disregard for opposing views are aimed at bolstering the ruling bloc's public approval ahead of the general elections.

During a televised Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Yoon asserted that doctors should never resort to staging a collective walkout, which effectively holds people's lives hostage.

“There are claims that adding 2,000 slots (to the annual medical school enrollment quota) is excessive, and some are even spreading groundless rumors … However, adding 2,000 slots is actually the bare minimum expansion needed,” he said.

His comments came amid vehement protests from doctors' groups against the government's plan to add 2,000 slots to the annual enrollment quota of 40 medical schools nationwide starting next year. According to the health ministry, 9,275 trainee doctors have submitted their resignations in protest, and as of Thursday, more than 8,000 of them have departed from their worksites, leading to medical chaos at hospitals.

President Yoon Suk Yeol waves to citizens at a traditional market in Ulsan, Wednesday. Courtesy of presidential office

In line with Yoon’s determination, the government is issuing threats of administrative actions, such as license suspension and other legal measures, against doctors involved in the protest, asserting that the government “will not surrender.”

“What I can say is there is no chance of the president compromising his determination,” an official at the presidential office said. “The government will respond to the walkout with every measure within the legal boundary.”

Against this backdrop, the "groundless rumors" mentioned by Yoon during the Cabinet meeting are assumed to refer to a scenario that went viral online. This scenario suggests that the government will reduce the additional slots from 2,000 to 500 at the request of the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

In a similar vein, Yoon is expected to persist in his efforts to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, in line with his presidential election pledge, despite the ongoing controversies surrounding the move. Following former Gender Equality Minister Kim Hyun-sook's expression of her intent to resign, a senior presidential aide informed Yonhap News Agency that the office will not appoint a new minister as it prepares for the ministry's abolition.

Yoon's steadfast stance aligns with his previous experiences, where he garnered public support through his assertive and uncompromising demeanor while prosecuting former presidents and business tycoons on corruption charges during his tenure as a prosecutor.

Yoon left the prosecution as a secretary-general in 2021 after butting heads with former President Moon Jae-in over a 2019 investigation involving former Justice Minister Cho Kuk. This led to Yoon consolidating his status as the frontrunner of the conservative faction, ultimately culminating in him assuming power in 2022.

Joo Soo-ho, spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association, speaks during a press conference at the association's headquarters in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

In addition to his robust policy initiatives, Yoon has been making visits to traditional markets in areas outside of Seoul in recent weeks, despite criticism from the opposition accusing the president of canvassing the public ahead of the general elections. These visits are perceived as efforts to demonstrate that he is attentive to public opinion and to underscore the warm reception he receives from citizens at these markets.

During his visit to Shinjung Market in Ulsan, Wednesday, Yoon spent more than 90 minutes shaking hands with shoppers and merchants in almost every corner of the market and listening to their comments.

During the visit, a citizen boldly exclaimed to the president, "the government should not surrender to doctors," a remark that garnered widespread attention in the media that evening. Although the president refrained from responding, the incident served to bolster the Yoon administration's assertion that the public stands behind the government's position on the medical school quota.

“Whether it is for the general elections or not, the president’s visits to a local market is bound to draw a warm welcome. Who will hate the president paying attention to your daily lives and regional issues?” said Park Sang-byeong, a political commentator and professor at Inha University.

“And if such a scene (a citizen supporting Yoon’s medical school policy) gets media attention, there is no way of it affecting Yoon negatively … Given that the general public is supportive of the medical school policy, people will start to praise Yoon’s steadfast and resolute attitude, rather than calling him stubborn.”

On the other hand, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) criticized Yoon’s push, alleging that he is unwilling to heed opposing viewpoints.

“During Yoon’s town hall meeting on medical reforms on Feb. 1, a pediatrician was silenced and dragged out of the meeting as he tried to voice his opinion during the meeting,” DPK Rep. Choi Hye-young said. “Do citizens lack their freedom to speak in front of the president?”

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) also claims that the government is not communicating with doctors over the additional slots.

“The government is citing several sessions of discussions with the KMA as the reason for its rationale that it has communicated with the doctors, but during the sessions, there were no discussions on additional medical school slots,” KMA spokesperson Joo Soo-ho said, Thursday.