Kim Taek-woo (61), chairman of the National Association of Provincial Medical Associations, was elected as the head of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the only statutory body among medical organizations. President-elect Kim, who served as the chairman of the emergency response committee of the Korean Medical Association after the government announced an increase in medical schools by 2,000 students in February last year, said in his winning remarks, “The government must come up with an education master plan (that can solve this), starting with the question of whether (medical school) education is possible for the 2025 school year.” “Only by submitting the education plan will we be able to answer what we will do (related to medical school seats) for the 2026 school year,” he said. In the future, new Chairman Kim will be responsible for communicating with the government and resolving various medical issues, such as medical school quota for the 2026 school year and resident military service issues.
● ‘Hardline stance against government’ unlikely to deviate
The Korean Medical Association announced that Chairman Kim was elected as the 43rd president by receiving 17,007 votes (60%) out of 28,167 votes in the final election held on the 7th and 8th. His rival, former Chairman of the Korean Medical Association Joo Su-ho, only received 11,160 votes (39%). In the first round of voting, Chairman Kim only had a 437-vote gap with Candidate Joo, but he appears to have widened the gap by attracting votes from other unsuccessful candidates. Chairman Kim’s term is approximately 2 years and 4 months until April 30, 2027, the remaining term of former Chairman Lim Hyun-taek, who was impeached six months after taking office for reasons such as abusive language and lack of communication in November last year.
Chairman Kim is a former surgeon who graduated from Gyeongsang National University College of Medicine. Last year, he served as the chairman of the medical association’s emergency committee and led the fight in the medical field, but is classified as a relatively rational ‘conversation group’. However, there are predictions that he may take a stronger stance in this election as he receives support from resident (interns, residents) and medical student groups, which hold the key to the legislative conflict. In fact, those inside and outside the medical community believe that, considering the current legislative conflict, no matter which candidate is elected, they will not deviate significantly from the ‘hard-line stance against the government.’ On this day, Chairman Kim said, “(According to a public opinion poll), more than 55% of the people say that medical reform should be stopped,” and “It has been revealed that it is a flawed medical reform.” The government should not be stubborn either. “A proactive change in the government’s attitude should be a priority,” he said.
● To solve problems such as increasing the number of medical schools, communication with the government is necessary.
Chairman Kim must reorganize the Korean Medical Association, which is currently operating under a non-commissioned committee system, and find a solution to the conflict over the legislative system that has intensified since the government announced an increase in the number of medical schools in February of last year. We must also consider measures such as medical school capacity for the 2026 school year and the return of residents. An official from the medical community said, “The newly formed executive branch of the medical association will focus on discussions related to medical school quotas for 2026.”
The issue of military service for medical residents who must complete their military service as military doctors or public health doctors must also be resolved together with the government. The government’s medical reform, whose second implementation plan will soon be announced, is also an immediate task facing the next executive branch of the Korean Medical Association. The government’s non-benefit and actual loss insurance reform plan, the draft of which will be released at a public hearing on the 9th, is expected to have a significant impact on the medical community, so there is no choice but to actively engage in communication with the government in some form. During the previous president’s time, the Korean Medical Association did not communicate much with the government, and the government’s counterpart became unclear due to the declaration of martial law on December 3 and the impeachment situation, which became a problem that the new Korean Medical Association’s executive branch had to solve.
Reporter Park Gyeong-min [email protected]
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