In the Korean Medical Association (KMA) upcoming presidential election, Kim Taek-woo, the president of the National Council of Medical Associations, and Joo Su-ho, the representative of the Future Medical Forum and former KMA president, secured the first and second places, respectively. The two candidates will face off in the runoff vote on the 7th and 8th.
On the 4th, the KMA Election Management Committee announced that in the KMA presidential election held from the 2nd to the 4th, a total of 29,295 people voted, with candidate Kim Taek-woo receiving 8,103 votes (27.66%) and candidate Joo Su-ho receiving 7,666 votes (26.17%).
KMA planning director Choi Anna recorded a vote share of 18.92%, Lee Dong-wook, president of the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Association, received 15.69%, and Kang Hee-kyung, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine, garnered 11.57%.
Out of a total of 51,895 eligible voters, 29,295 cast their votes, resulting in a voter turnout of 56.45%. Due to the absence of a majority winner, the president-elect will be determined in a head-to-head contest between the top two candidates.
This election was held following the impeachment of Im Hyun-taek, the former KMA president, on the 10th, who took office in May. The KMA transitioned to an emergency response committee system, with Park Hyung-wook, the head of the committee, serving as the interim leader of the medical community for about two months.
In a situation where conflicts between the government and the medical community have persisted for nearly a year due to the government's expansion of medical school quotas, the new president will face significant challenges, including negotiations with the government regarding the increase in medical school seats, addressing the medical service gap, and normalizing medical education. The two candidates advancing to the runoff are known to be hardliners, raising expectations for intensified confrontations between the KMA and the government in the future.
The elected candidate will immediately take office and lead the KMA for the remaining term of the former president Im, which lasts until April 30, 2027, representing more than 140,000 doctors.