Park Dan, Chairperson of the Korean Association of Resident Medical Doctors (KARM), rebutted criticism from four professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine, who said on the 17th that it is "unjust" for residents to stop training, stating, "It is a confession of hypocrisy and admission from those who are not even qualified to be called professors."
On the same day, Chairperson Park posted a message on his Facebook titled "To some individuals who are not even qualified to be called professors" and made the statement.
Chairperson Park said, "Let’s be honest. Didn’t you learn skills like emergency treatment and intravenous injection from emergency medical technicians and nurses?" to which he responded, "No. I did not learn from nurses or emergency medical technicians. No one taught me, so I studied alone by watching books and videos, and learned by asking fellow residents and picking it up by intuition."
He continued, "The entity that should be teaching that is you. How much did you neglect education? Are you even aware of the role of professors?"
He stated, "It is even bewildering that you openly talk about not fulfilling your duties as professors without any reflection."
Chairperson Park expressed regret, stating, "It is unfortunate that such a situation has to occur for you to confess your hypocrisy," and suggested introducing a professor evaluation system to regularly assess the education conditions of residents.
He added, "Current professors spent every day in the hospital during their residency, caring for patients, learning, picking things up, and growing. There was a time they worked 140 to 150 hours a week. However, we know that this process formed the basis of the current level of healthcare in South Korea."
However, he questioned, "As South Korea's economic growth rate has dropped to around 1%, are you willing to advocate for revising the Labor Standards Act to allow all workers to work 80 hours or even 140 hours a week for national growth? Would you claim that it is an inevitable sacrifice for public health, even if people die from overwork and pregnant women lose children from overwork?"
Finally, he remarked, "The biggest problem in university hospitals is that labor and the associated responsibilities are hierarchically shifted. Now, without residents, professors are transferring their medical responsibilities to nurses. They are increasing patient risks for their own convenience. I hope they do not justify exploitation using patients as hostages."
Earlier, Professors Kang Hee-kyung, Oh Joo-hwan, Ha Eun-jin, and Han Se-won from Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital criticized, stating, "The current methods of struggle and goals do not seem just or capable of convincing society," and added, "All that has returned to the residents who returned to training are blacklists and ridicule."
Chairperson Park did not rebut these criticisms.