Professors from Seoul National University School of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital expressed disappointment to the resident doctors, saying, "The current methods and goals of the struggle do not seem justifiable and do not appear to persuade society."
Professors Ha Eun-jin, Oh Joo-hwan, Han Se-won, and Kang Hee-kyung from the Seoul National University School of Medicine and Hospital issued a statement on the 17th titled, "To those who claim that returning colleagues are no longer colleagues. It is time to decide."
They began the statement by saying, "A lot has happened in the past year, and we will honestly share our thoughts."
They noted, "In the early days of the crisis, we felt a sense of remorse. The courage shown by our students and juniors was impressive, and we thought that we should support them even from the background," adding, "We have also blamed ourselves for knowing that the existing medical system was unreasonable but turning a blind eye or feeling there was nothing we could do."
They continued, "However, what we received in return were terms like 'professors are intermediaries' and 'government collaborators' and 'narrow-minded and hypocritical.' We felt ashamed that we could not confidently deny them."
However, as the situation persisted, they felt disappointment and despair. They pointed out that it seemed like there was a desire to be treated as professionals based solely on their medical licenses, without responsibility for patients, respect for colleagues, or the dignity expected of professionals.
They highlighted, "Pointing out the error that increasing the medical school attendance by 2,000 students is not a solution showed courage and wisdom," adding, "However, we spent a year without a roadmap to improve the medical system or persuasive alternatives."
They stated, "Now we must choose. We must decide whether to continue endorsing this way of struggle or to raise our voices properly. And we must take responsibility for our choices."
Regarding the claim that resident doctors were being exploited during their training process, they said it was "a process of acquiring medical skills and knowledge for lifelong use, building expertise, and receiving guidance on know-how."
They agreed that the training environment was harsh, lacking in substance, and in need of improvement, stating, "However, at the last national assembly discussion, what you demanded was only about labor hours and salaries. Not a single word was said about ways to enhance the quality of training as professionals."
They criticized the resident doctors for blaming their peers who were maintaining their training. They noted, "You disparage fellow doctors and professors who are keeping the field, while mocking their dedication. Although there were those who collapsed from overwork after working over 100 hours, what returned to us were blacklists and accusations."
They added, "Where has camaraderie gone? Recently, even specialists who were previously enduring together are leaving."
Finally, they stated that the responsibility for the medical vacancy due to the conflict between the medical community and the government should also be shared. They asked, "Does our territory have to be destroyed just because we dislike the other party? Should the medical community behave the same way simply because the government has made mistakes?"
They said, "The medical system is currently collapsing. Is the government solely responsible for this collapse? We are losing trust from society. Those who are viewed not as trustworthy experts but as selfish individuals are the root cause of the collapse of the medical system. This lost trust will return as stricter regulations, lawsuits, and harsher environments."
They asserted, "Should we improve society and the medical environment while also making our working conditions sustainable, or will we continue to be stigmatized as obstacles and lose our monopoly? It's time to decide," asking, "Which path will you choose?"