In the Korean Medical Association (KMA) presidential election, Kim Taek-woo, the chairperson of the National Association of Provincial Medical Societies, and Joo Su-ho, the representative of the Future Medical Forum and former KMA president, took first and second place, respectively. The two candidates will compete in a runoff election to be held on 7th and 8th.
On the 4th, the KMA Central Election Management Committee announced that during the KMA presidential election held from the 2nd to the 4th, 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 voting rate of 18.92%, Lee Dong-wook, chair of the Gyeonggi Medical Association, received 15.69%, and Professor Kang Hee-kyung from Seoul National University College of Medicine recorded 11.57%.
Of the total 51,895 eligible voters, 29,295 voted, resulting in a voter turnout of 56.45%. As no candidate received a majority of votes, the next president will be determined through a head-to-head contest between the top two candidates.
This election was held following the impeachment of former KMA President Im Hyun-taek in November of last year. The KMA transitioned to a contingency committee system, with Park Hyung-wook, the head of the committee, acting as the temporary leader of the medical community for about two months.
In a situation where the conflict between the government and the KMA, triggered by the government's increase of medical school enrollments, has persisted for nearly a year, the new president will face significant challenges including negotiations with the government on increasing medical school enrollments, addressing medical service gaps, and normalizing medical education upon taking office. Given that both runoff candidates are known as hardliners, there are predictions that the KMA's future struggle against the government will intensify.
The elected president will immediately take office and lead the KMA for the remainder of the term of former President Im, which lasts until April 30, 2027, representing over 140,000 physicians.