Chairperson Park Joo-min of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee met with medical organizations and said on the 19th, "To resolve the conflict between the government and the medical community, I will keep all possibilities open, including the 'cancellation of next year's medical school admissions,' and communicate closely with the medical community."
Following the passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol, there is a growing atmosphere of dialogue with medical organizations, primarily led by the opposition party. However, the Ministry of Education has stated that the recruitment process for new students is already underway, as the announcements for successful applicants have concluded, and that halting the recruitment of next year's medical students is impossible due to the potential harm to students and parents. Therefore, chaos is expected if the National Assembly pursues the cancellation of the increase in medical school admissions for next year.
Chairperson Park Joo-min of the Democratic Party of Korea noted during a briefing on the meeting between the National Assembly and medical organizations held at the Korean Medical Association building in Yongsan, Seoul, that "There is a consensus that proper medical education and medical school training are impossible, and that it will exacerbate the medical crisis" and added, "In the future, I will work on resolving issues by frequently meeting with the medical community, including holding discussion forums."
In response to the question of whether there is a possibility of canceling the increase in medical school admissions, Chairperson Park said, "While we have not reached an agreement, we will keep all possibilities open and continue the dialogue." This indicates that it is not something agreed at the level of the National Assembly.
Chairperson Kim Young-ho of the National Assembly's Education Committee stated, "Given that the Ministry of Education said it is difficult to even make micro-adjustments regarding the increase in medical school admissions for next year, I want to hear the voices from the field about why medical education is challenging in the current situation." He also mentioned that "I will organize a discussion forum to understand why there is a risk of medical collapse if we implement policies according to the Yoon Suk-yeol government with deans, professors, residents, and medical students."
The closed-door meeting, convened at the suggestion of the National Assembly, included Park Hyung-wook, Chairperson of the Korean Medical Association's emergency response committee, and Park Dan, Chairperson of the Korean Intern and Resident Association, as well as Chairperson Park Joo-min and Chairperson Kim Young-ho from the National Assembly. Chairperson Park has reportedly reiterated the need to suspend medical school admissions for the 2025 academic year and has requested cooperation from the National Assembly.
Prior to the meeting, Chairperson Park Hyung-wook said in his opening remarks, "If left unchecked, the crisis in medical education and the medical catastrophe will increasingly worsen, to the point where it will be irreparable starting next year." He added, "The Korean Medical Association and the Korean Intern and Resident Association will gather wisdom to address the crisis in medical education and the impending medical crisis, including the suspension of medical school admissions for 2025." He also criticized, "While the martial law has ended, medical martial law continues. The support for first-year residents for next year clearly reflects the policy failures of the Yoon Suk-yeol government, yet no one takes responsibility for the negative impacts of these policies."
Chairperson Park Dan of the Korean Intern and Resident Association stated, "This situation is a tragic result of the government's policy failures" and added, "Since President Yoon's duties have been suspended, the policies he pushed for should also be completely halted." He urged that "Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho and the presidents of various universities who claimed it was possible to proceed with education must take responsibility and present measures."
The meeting was the first public encounter between the National Assembly and the medical organizations to discuss ways to resolve the conflict following the passage of the impeachment motion against President Yoon Suk-yeol. The medical organizations previously met with Heo Eun-ah, leader of the Reform Party, and lawmaker Lee Ju-young last month.
Chairperson Park Joo-min stated, "The beginning of the medical crisis stemmed from the unilateral and coercive policy executions of the Yoon Suk-yeol government, and even a glance at the martial law proclamation reveals how the president viewed the medical community." He continued, "With the passage of the impeachment motion, the situation has changed, and I hope we can have many discussions on how to resolve this situation." Chairperson Kim Young-ho remarked, "I hope we can put an end to the time of conflict and confrontation, and that a time for dialogue and compromise begins."