Current executive team, “If we are reappointed, we will further reform and communicate with residents.”
In a by-election, the candidate supported by Sajik Major is likely to win.
On the 10th, the Korean Medical Association‘s representative committee will hold a vote of no confidence in Lim Hyun-taek, president of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), who has caused controversy due to his harsh words and transcripts of requests for settlement money. Chairman Lim is trying his best to win back the hearts of members by publicly apologizing and deleting his social networking service (SNS) account, but the response is cold. With the resignation of Chairman Lim, who had been involved in frequent conflicts with medical residents and other organizations within the medical community, attention is focused on whether the Korean Medical Association will be able to restore its representativeness in the medical community and find a clue to resolving the conflict between the medical community and the government.
Lim Hyun-taek, President of the Korean Medical Association. Photo = Reporter Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@
The Medical Association Representative Steering Committee held an emergency meeting on the 29th of last month and decided to submit a vote of no confidence in Chairman Lim on November 10th. According to the internal rules of the Korean Medical Association, if a vote of no confidence is passed, Chairman Lim will be immediately excluded from his duties and a by-election will be held within 60 days. Chairman Lim has recently been criticized for making disparaging remarks about the disabled, demanding compensation for withdrawing complaints, and not achieving any significant results in the legislative conflict that has continued for over 10 months.
The mood in the medical community is focused on passing Chairman Lim’s impeachment. An official in the medical industry said, “At first, there was public opinion that trust should be given to the president because he was elected through direct voting,” but “he lost a lot of trust as he was unable to properly respond to legislative conflicts and nursing laws.” A professor at a medical school in Chungcheong Province also said, “(Chairman Lim) seems to be a bit extreme, so his intended argument seems to be drowned out,” and added, “Even if it’s unfair as the chairman, I hope he will step back now.”
One of the biggest reasons that led to the no-confidence vote was Chairman Lim’s disagreement with the emergency chair of the Korean Resident Association (Daejeon Association), Dan Park, who held the key to resolving the situation. In a meeting with reporters on the 24th of last month, Kim Kyo-woong, chairman of the Korean Medical Association’s National Medical Association, said, “As of now, no matter what conclusion Chairman Lim reaches with President Yoon Seok-yeol, if Chairman Park (the representative of the major) objects, it will be in vain,” and “The Daejeon Medical Association Emergency Committee and He also pressed, saying, “If relations cannot be improved, the executive branch will have to make its own decision.”
However, some argue that the vote of no confidence in Chairman Lim may be rejected. It is not impossible for Chairman Lim and the current executive team to contact each other individually and win the hearts of one-third of the delegates. According to the relevant regulations of the Korean Medical Association, a motion of no confidence in the president is established upon the motion of more than one-fourth of the members with voting rights or more than one-third of the registered delegates, with the attendance of more than two-thirds of the registered delegates and two-thirds of the delegates present. It is decided by the approval of the above. An official from the medical community said, “I understand that Chairman Lim has recently been personally contacting the delegates asking them to trust him,” and added, “We cannot rule out the possibility that the impeachment will be invalidated.”
It has been reported that Chairman Lim is also focusing on improving the relationship with the Sajik resident in order to be reappointed. Anna Choi, spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association, said, “Chairman Lim’s clear intention is to reflect in the affairs of the association the wishes of residents and Chairman Dan Park. If he is re-confirmed, we will further reform and communicate in the future to create a structure in which the opinions of residents and medical students can be reflected.” “We will make it,” he emphasized.
Can we win back the heart of a major who has turned around? Candidates for the next president take ‘slow steps’
However, the response from Sajik residents is cold. Mr. A, a resident who resigned from a local teaching hospital, said, “Even if Chairman Lim’s vote of no confidence is rejected, the position of the Daejeon Association and the majority of retired medical residents that they will not communicate with the current executive branch of the Korean Medical Association will not change.”
Previously, Chairman Park Dan also posted on his SNS last September, “Chairman Lim Hyun-taek of the Korean Medical Association does not represent the residents who resigned and the medical students who took a leave of absence.” He added, “The four people listed below (Chairman Park, Jeong-ho Son, Seo-young Kim, and Jo Joo-shin, medical specialists at Korea University College of Medicine) The Graduate Student Association Joint Emergency Response Committee Chairman) stated, “I have no intention of sitting with Chairman Lim at any table.”
(From left) Joo Su-ho, former president of the Medical Association, Kim Taek-woo, president of the National Provincial Medical Association, and Lee Dong-wook, president of the Gyeonggi Province Medical Association.[이미지출처=연합뉴스, 경기도의사회]
Meanwhile, the general opinion in the medical community is that if the impeachment is passed and a by-election is held, the candidate who wins the hearts of Sajik residents and Daejeon Medical Center is likely to be elected. This is because a consensus has been formed that persuading and cooperating with Sajik residents is the key to resolving the current legislative conflict.
The people currently being mentioned as candidates for the next president of the Korean Medical Association include former president Joo Su-ho, Kim Taek-woo, president of the National Provincial Medical Association, and Lee Dong-wook, president of the Gyeonggi Province Medical Association. They are already working hard to strengthen their relationship with Sajik residents.
Former Chairman Joo Su-ho, CEO of the Future Medical Forum, held an event somewhere in Seoul on the 20th of last month to which he invited retired medical residents. Speakers who are highly preferred by private majors, such as Lee Joo-young, a member of the New Reform Party, and YouTuber ‘Knife of Knowledge’, came out and drew a positive response. In particular, Chairman Park Dan, who is at odds with the Korean Medical Association, also attended the event.
Chairman Kim Taek-woo is also working hard to maintain relationships with Sajik residents. He is evaluated as having had smooth communication with Chairman Park Dan and Sajik residents when he served as the emergency committee chairman of the Korean Medical Association earlier this year. It is known that even after the launch of Lim Hyun-taek’s executive branch, he continued to have conversations about pending issues with Daejeon Cooperative officials and Sajik residents. The fact that Chairman Kim’s son, who is a private medical doctor, is one of only 12 emergency committee members of Daejeon Cooperative is also having a positive effect on maintaining relationships.
Chairman Lee Dong-wook has also consistently kept pace with Sajik residents. He has held 49 rallies every Saturday since the conflict broke out, denouncing the judicial brutality of medical abuse, and since August 1st, he has been holding a relay one-person picket protest at Itaewon Square on the way to work for the president. According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Association, during the protest held on the 31st of last month, about 30 Sajik doctors came and had a conversation with Chairman Lee.
Reporter Taewon Choi peaceful1@asiae.co.kr
