Dialogue hopes fade as doctors pick hard-liner as new head

Lim Hyun-taek, the newly appointed president of the Korean Medical Association, the largest doctors’ lobbying group here, delivers his speech after becoming elected at the KMA’s office in Yongsan-gu, central Seoul, Tuesday. (Yonhap)

The Korean Medical Association, a group that represents some 140,000 doctors, said it has picked a pediatrician, known as a hardliner toward the government’s policy, as the group’s new head, dampening hopes for a dialogue to resolve the prolonged medical standoff.

Having been elected, the new KMA head Lim Hyun-taek demanded President Yoon Suk Yeol apologize for pushing ahead with the medical student quota expansion plan and fire health minister, saying both are prerequisites for talks. He also warned of a general strike if any damage is inflicted on trainee doctors, medical students or professors.

With the new head intensifying criticism, the government said it was willing to narrow down differences through talks.

“(The government) hopes that the KMA would engage in talks now that it has a new leader. The new president is displaying a hardline position, but (we) expect them to talk with us,” Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during Wednesday’s press briefing.

Park added that a decision has yet to be made on taking steps against suspending the licenses of trainee doctors who walked off their jobs, adding that the ministry is currently discussing the issue with the ruling party. He declined to comment further on the details.

Park, however, drew a line at the 2,000 additional seats being up for discussion if talks happened.

Lim, who previously headed the Korean Pediatric Association, has continuously opposed having more medical students, citing the decline in fertility rates.

“What the medical community needs to do right now is to have faith in trainee doctors and medical students and be a source of support for them,” Lim was quoted as saying.

“I think discussions will begin when the government is ready to rethink from scratch (about the planned hike),” he added.

“Putting a hold on suspending the licenses (of trainee doctors who refused the government’s back-to-work orders) is not a bargaining chip (that could convince doctors to come to the negotiation table),” Lim said, capping an upset to the government’s anticipation of speaking with doctors on medical reform policies, including next year’s medical budget.

His three-year tenure begins on May 1 and runs until April 30, 2027.