Lim Hyun-taek, president of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), has begun an indefinite hunger strike, calling for President Yoon Suk Yeol and the National Assembly to “decide to end the medical crisis.”

Lim maintained that President Yoon should take action to stop the push to increase the medical school enrollment quota and to normalize medical care.

“Korea’s healthcare is on the brink of death, and people's lives are being threatened,” Lim said at a press conference in front of the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Monday. “As the KMA head, I want to convey my sincerity through a hunger strike.”

“It has already been more than six months since trainee doctors and students have left the medical field due to the demonization of doctors and false propaganda that some government officials and politicized professors have waged against the entire nation,” Lim said. “For more than six months, medical professors have endured it, been burnt out, and are now quietly resigning.”

The KMA has demanded the dismissal of Jang Sang-yoon, senior presidential secretary for social affairs, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyoo-hong, Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, Park Min-soo, Minister of Education Lee Ju-ho, and Vice Minister of Education Oh Seok-hwan, calling them “the five thieves who mangled medicine and education.”

In provinces, an urgent pregnant woman had nowhere to go and gave birth in emergency ambulances. Lim said that even in Seoul, patients who have injured their limbs in accidents and those who are vomiting blood from their stomachs and bronchi are dying because there are no hospitals to accept them.

“The only way to resolve the national medical crisis seriously threatening people's lives is for President Yoon and the National Assembly to take action,” he said. “I am making a final appeal to the president and the Assembly. Please stop looking the other way and decide to end the medical crisis.”

After the press conference, Lim began a hunger strike in a tent before the KMA.

Choi Anna, general director and spokesperson for the KMA, said, “The situation is very serious, and the government and the National Assembly should work out countermeasures as soon as possible."

She stressed that the government must change its stance so that medical care can be normalized.

“The situation can only be resolved if the government shows its willingness to have an effective dialogue with the medical community on all issues, including stopping the increase of medical students, the push for bad laws, like the nursing law, and suspending the discussion of the special committee on healthcare reform,” Choi said. “The government's inaction is irresponsible and drives the people into fear.”

She did not answer whether the hunger strike was part of a movement to oust the Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

On Aug. 16, Lim demanded that the nursing law and the healthcare reform task force be suspended. He said if this does not happen, he would "mobilize all possible methods to lead the movement to oust the regime."