As conflict continues over the appointment of the next president of the National Health Insurance Service, President Chung Kyeong-seok of the service tendered his resignation about a month before his term ends.
According to the medical community on the 11th, Chung submitted his resignation to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 9th. Appointed in July 2023 under the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, Chung's term runs until Aug. 9.
There are various interpretations as to why Chung decided to step down with less than a month left in his term. Cited factors include that during an inspection earlier this year of the service by the Office of the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, Chung's attendance record was also reviewed, and that ongoing conflict with the service's labor union has persisted.
Chung, a former physician, served as president of Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, head of Hallym University Medical Center, and director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2021, Chung served as special advisor on COVID-19 response on the presidential election committee of the People Power Party, and the following year, as head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' special COVID-19 response team.
Chung's resignation offer came as labor-management tensions over the process to appoint the next president intensified.
The labor union of the service is protesting that, in forming the executive recommendation committee to select the next president, a former Vice Minister of the Health and Welfare Ministry was appointed as a "member representing the views of the service's employees." The union argues that, under relevant laws and the service's internal rules, that member must be selected from candidates recommended through procedures to gather opinions, such as labor-management consultations or a vote of employees, but the board bypassed those steps.
The union also says that in a vote of service employees last month, the union's own recommended candidate received a majority, with 10,095 in favor out of 16,495 total employees, yet the board excluded that result.
The union points out that among the five members of the nominating committee, the current director general for health insurance policy at the ministry and a former Vice Minister are included, meaning ministry veterans make up 40% of the whole. It argues that appointing a former high-ranking official from the supervising ministry to a position meant to represent service employees runs counter to the intent of the Act on the Management of Public Institutions.
The union has said it plans legal action, including seeking an injunction to suspend the effect of the board resolution. Earlier, some within the union also called for Chung's resignation, saying he undermined the spirit of the rules in the process of forming the nominating committee.
The service says it lawfully formed the executive recommendation committee in accordance with the Act on the Management of Public Institutions, its enforcement decree, and internal rules.
The service is currently proceeding with an open call to select the next president. Applications close today, and the final appointment will be made after review by the executive recommendation committee, recommendation by the Minister of Health and Welfare, and approval by the president.
Some say that if the union's legal response materializes, the schedule to appoint a successor could be delayed. In 2023, after former President Kang Do-tae left before his term ended, the service experienced a leadership vacuum of more than 100 days until Chung was appointed. Observers say that if the presidency remains vacant for an extended period ahead of major issues such as managing health insurance finances and fee negotiations, it could weigh on the organization's operations.