Medical community welcomes Yoon’s removal, urges end to misguided healthcare policies

The medical community welcomed the Constitutional Court’s decision to remove President Yoon Suk Yeol on Friday.

Medical associations also urged the government to reverse healthcare policies imposed by the ousted president, including the increase in medical school enrollment quotas, and to engage in dialogue with the medical community.

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) issued a statement shortly after the top tribunal's decision. “The decision confirms that Korean democracy is alive and well… We look forward to ending the prolonged medical turmoil caused by Yoon’s misguided policies.” 

“The Yoon administration has intensified its attacks on the medical community, demonized it in the media, and engaged in full-scale repression. It did not hesitate to declare illegal martial law and issue a proclamation to execute striking trainee doctors,” the nation’s largest doctors group said. “This administration violated the trust of doctors and the public with the unreasonable medical policies and ultimately led to its impeachment.”

It emphasized that the government should prioritize ending medical manipulation.

“With the impeachment upheld, we expect the government to halt misguided healthcare policies promoted by the presidential special committee on healthcare reform and to engage in rational discussions on increasing medical school capacity and the essential healthcare policy package,” KMA said. “We urged the government to show a responsible attitude in establishing a forum for discussion with professional organizations in resolving the situation.”

“Officials who helped the regime implement the wrong policies should also be held accountable,” it said. “We hope this will encourage frustrated medical students and trainee doctors to return to schools and hospitals.”

“We must maturely accept the ruling, which was made through the constitutional process. As soon as the political turmoil subsides and the social conflicts are healed, let's open the future of Korea as a democratic country that has taken a step forward,” it said.

The Medical Professors’ Association of Korea also issued a statement, calling for a “full correction of Yoon's unconstitutional medical school expansion and healthcare policies.”

“We express our gratitude to the people, the National Assembly, and the Constitutional Court for their contributions to safeguarding democratic values and maintaining constitutional order,” the association said. “The medical school expansion and healthcare policies that ignore constitutional values should be scrapped immediately.”

It called for the government to stop the repression of medical students and specialists and “seek a solution through dialogue and mutual trust with the medical community to normalize medical education and restore the healthcare system.”

The South Jeolla Medical Association also “welcomed the president's impeachment citation” and said, “The government should take immediate steps to hold those responsible for medical manipulation accountable and restore the healthcare system.”

The provincial association said, “We wholeheartedly support the Constitutional Court's decision to impeach the president and welcome it with the whole nation. The president's removal is a stern judgment by the people against a regime tainted by incompetence and arrogance, and a powerful rebuke to those who undermine democracy and the Constitution.”

It emphasized that the wrong policies should be reversed, and those responsible should resign after apologizing to the public. 

“The Constitutional Court's decision has allowed the medical community to regain its footing. We call for the unscientific and haphazard expansion of medical school students to be rescinded and the officials to resign immediately with an apology to the public.”

“The next government should learn from the arrogance and mistakes of the past regime and implement healthcare policies in consultation with experts,” it said.

The Gwangju Medical Association also stated, “The impeachment of President Yoon is the result of the destruction of the healthcare system, but it should also be the beginning of its recovery,” calling for a halt to Yoon’s healthcare policy and the apology and resignation of those responsible for the situation.