Medical association's PR chief grilled over inciting doctors' strike

Social Affairs

Published: 25 Jul. 2024, 17:21

Medical association's PR chief grilled over inciting doctors' strike

Joo Soo-ho, former head of the public relations committee at the Korean Medical Association, speaks to reporters on his way to attend a police questioning session at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s regional investigation unit in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Thursday. [NEWS1]

Police on Thursday summoned Joo Soo-ho, former head of the Korean Medical Association (KMA)'s public relations committee, to investigate allegations that he helped incite a doctors' walkout during his term.

Joo sat for questioning at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s regional investigation unit in Mapo District in western Seoul at 10 a.m.

Before entering the police station, Joo told reporters that “awakened junior doctors voluntarily gave up their training because they realized that earning a medical specialty would be meaningless when health policies are distorted.”

Specifically, Joo claimed that the current national health insurance system, which mandates people to pay treatment fees decided by the government, “limits people’s rights to choice” and is thus “unconstitutional.”

He added that he would not dodge criminal prosecution even if police tried him on charges of instigating junior doctors to go on strike, stating that he would be “proud to claim” his faults.

Joo also asked President Yoon Suk Yeol to sack the health minister for "groundlessly increasing medical school admissions" and scrap the controversial admissions hike "to open an opportunity so that doctors can take a leading role in saving Korea's medical system.”

When asked about the investigation, Joo said he had “nothing to hide,” adding that he would cooperate “without any omissions or concealment.”

Joo was questioned three times by police in March.

Police plan to conclude their investigation into the junior doctors' walkout by the end of this month.

The investigation began after the Ministry of Health and Welfare filed a complaint in February. The ministry accused then-top officials at the KMA of violating the Medical Service Act, interfering with others’ business and aiding and abetting a strike.

In June, police summoned Lim Hyun-taek, incumbent KMA president and then Korean Pediatric Association president. They also called in Park Myung-ha, who formerly served as the head of the committee for strengthening the KMA's organization, and Kim Taek-woo, former chief of the emergency committee of the KMA, on July 10 and last Saturday, respectively.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]