hankyoreh

President Yoon Suk-yeol greets doctors at a roundtable held at Asan Medical Center in Seoul’s Songpa District on March 18, 2024. (courtesy of the presidential office/Yonhap)

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol announced Sunday that he had instructed Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to hold discussions with the ruling party on a “flexible plan” for addressing the suspension of licenses for interns and residents who have left their duties at hospitals.

This came in response to a request from People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon following a meeting that day with the Medical Professors Association of Korea (MPAK).

In a press announcement issued at 6 pm on Sunday regarding Yoon’s instructions, the office of the presidential office spokesperson said that Han Dong-hoon had “made a request to the presidential office today for a flexible approach to the administrative measures suspending the licenses of interns and residents who have left health care workplaces.” 

For over a month now, house staff at hospitals across the country have walked out of their jobs to protest a proposed increase in the nationwide medical college admission cap.

Yoon also directed Han Duck-soo to “form a body for constructive discussions to hold dialogue with physicians.”

The administration previously announced that it planned to begin as early as Tuesday with procedures to suspend the licenses of interns and residents who have left hospitals.

Yoon’s order came after a closed-door meeting between Han Dong-hoon and the senior MPAK leadership, which began at 4 pm on Sunday at Severance Hospital in Seoul’s Sinchon neighborhood and lasted for around 50 minutes.

After the meeting, Han told reporters, “Since we need to avert a situation where the public suffers, I have been requested to mediate a constructive dialogue between the administration and physicians.”

He added, “It was also communicated to me by the medical community that they are prepared to take part in constructive dialogue with the administration.”

“I answered that I would play the necessary role as a responsible politician,” he said.

People Power Party interim leader Han Dong-hoon takes questions from reporters after taking part in a discussion with senior leaders of the Medical Professors Association of Korea at Severance Hospital in Seoul on March 24, 2024. (Yonhap)

Observers interpreted Yoon’s instructions on Sunday to find a “flexible” approach to the plans to suspend the interns’ and residents’ licenses as a sign that the administration and ruling People Power Party are taking steps to manage a risk with the potential to impact the general election on April 10. In other words, they are working to find a way out before the situation escalates with the public blaming the administration for the health care vacuum as the conflict with physicians draws out into the long term.

In a press announcement at 6 pm on Sunday, the presidential office said that Yoon had “asked Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to ‘hold discussions with the party [PPP] toward a flexible approach,’” explaining that there had been a request to this effect from Han Dong-hoon.

Sung Tae-yoon, the presidential chief of staff for policy, however, announced during a television interview that the administration plans to begin suspensions on Tuesday, March 26, as originally announced.

The administration is surely feeling the pressure from an extended conflict with the medical community. According to a poll conducted by Gallup Korea, 49% of the public thinks the Yoon administration is doing a poor job dealing with the doctor walkout and health care crisis. Only 38% approve of the government’s response. 

Some within the ruling party have also expressed worries about the possible negative impact the ongoing health care debacle could have on the PPP’s chances in the general election. 

“Obviously, the country needs more doctors. But the public mood right now is different from when the conflict started. The approach of strength meeting strength is taking a toll on all of us,” said one PPP candidate running for a spot in the greater Seoul area, speaking to the Hankyoreh on the condition of anonymity. 

Some have noted that behind this is a calculation by the PPP’s interim leader, Han Dong-hoon, to foster an image as the figure putting out fires when it comes to various controversies, like those caused by Lee Jong-sup, the current ambassador to Australia, and Hwang Sang-moo, a former presidential secretary for civil and social affairs — both appointed by Yoon. 

After Hwang’s resignation and Lee’s temporary return to Seoul, a presidential office insider remarked, “It’s the party that’s running in the election.” 

A PPP candidate running in the Chungcheong region told the Hankyoreh, “Look at the doctors and the state butting heads and locking horns. Han Dong-hoon is the only viable mediator at this point.”

By Lee Seung-jun, staff reporter; Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]