South Korea's Medical Crisis and Political Accountability Issues

The medical crisis in South Korea demands accountability and transparency from the government to protect citizens' rights.

### The Medical Crisis and Political Turmoil in South Korea: A Call for Accountability
* 🩺 The ongoing medical crisis in South Korea is exacerbated by the government's failure to provide **scientific evidence for the proposed increase of 2,000 doctors**, leaving the medical community in disarray.
* 📜 Despite numerous testimonies, there has been a lack of clarity regarding **how many doctors will be allocated to specific regions each year**, and no simulations have been conducted to address the **anticipated rise in healthcare expenditures**.
* ⚖ Discussions surrounding the president's impeachment appear to be more focused on **corruption involving Kim Geon-hee** rather than addressing the **pressing medical crisis at hand**, highlighting a **systemic flaw in the country's democracy**.
* 📚 The situation has drawn parallels to literary works, such as Kazuo Ishiguro's "Never Let Me Go," which reflects on **exploitation**, and Stephen King's "The Shawshank Redemption," symbolizing **resilience amid unjust circumstances**.
* 🔍 The need for a **thorough investigation into the administration's actions**, especially regarding the **abuse of power over medical professionals and students**, has become crucial to **prevent further deterioration of the healthcare system**.
* 📸 A recent photo from the presidential office illustrates a **lack of awareness and empathy** from the president, suggesting a **disconnect from the realities faced by citizens and professionals alike**.
* 💔 The current political climate, filled with scandals and a collapsing system of checks and balances, calls for **urgent action** to ensure that young doctors and medical students are not left to navigate a future fraught with **uncertainty and compromised rights**.
* 🗣 Ultimately, it is vital for educators and medical professionals to **stand firm and advocate for the integrity of medical education and the health of the nation**, as the path forward remains unclear amidst the chaos.

Hello everyone, this is Jung Joon and Dr. Lee Young. Recently, I have received many emails from medical students and doctors regarding career paths. However, I find it difficult to respond to those who do not reveal their identities when asking questions. I understand that it is a sensitive situation, but I believe that if you are seeking one-on-one advice, you should at least disclose your identity. Therefore, I cannot attend to those who request advice anonymously. Looking at the current situation, it seems that the impeachment of the president is seriously coming to the table, especially with the recent scandals surrounding Kim Geon-hee and her associates. There are rumors circulating that Kim Geon-hee is involved in shamanistic practices and that Yoon Seok-yeol is a blind prosecutor. It feels a bit extreme, especially during this time of impeachment.

It seems that the scandals that occurred over the past year are of a more severe nature. Back then, there were things that were kept secret, but now, due to the tablet PC, they have come to light. Compared to that time, Kim Geon-hee is now in the presidential office, directly involved without any attempts to hide it. The checks and balances, the auditing system, have completely collapsed, and the state of the nation, which could not be prevented even with open eyes, is now revealed to the world. It seems that the administration is heading towards its end. There were separate budgets for the First Lady, allegations of construction corruption related to the residence, and the investigation into Deutsche Motor, which the prosecution decided not to indict. There are many suspicious things, and if the Second Office is reinstated, it will be overflowing with people connected to Kim Geon-hee. Therefore, they cannot create a separate office.

There are discussions about what is being created, but the country is facing economic difficulties, and Samsung Electronics is now faltering. North Korea has been launching leaflets, and when Poland came, there were incidents in Yongsan. The country is not in a good state, and the dynamics of governance are currently obstructed. It’s not the time to be blocking progress. The national audit is becoming pointless, and it’s disheartening to see people expending their energy on such matters. Lately, my heart feels heavy. In fact, the national audit should be focused on issues like our country's declining birth rates and what the government is doing about them. Instead, we are stuck on the issue of one individual, Kim Geon-hee, and the country is failing to address the critical matters it truly needs to tackle, one of which is resolving the medical crisis. Right now, the focus is on the Kim Geon-hee issue.

Due to this, the medical crisis is being overshadowed. Furthermore, discussions about impeachment seem to be more driven by the corruption related to Kim Geon-hee than by the medical crisis itself. I believe that even if impeachment talks arise, the content of the impeachment documents is more important than the question of whether impeachment will occur. Regarding the necessity of the president's impeachment, I posted about it on YouTube starting in July 2024. The fact that impeachment has still not taken place indicates to me a serious systemic flaw in South Korean liberal democracy. I have been sensing this lately. If President Yoon Seok-yeol were a more flexible or adaptable person, we wouldn’t have reached this point. As for the medical crisis, he is unlikely to change his stance, and he seems to be unaware of how his decisions affect others.

I have seen people who are completely unable to empathize, and I believe that is accurate. When gathering various pieces of evidence, it seems that out of an hour, they spend 55 minutes talking about themselves. This means that when the other person wants to express something, honestly, during that hour, they will focus their gaze on what they want to say. However, they cannot read those cues and are completely unable to yield to the other person. Additionally, during the process of preparing for the presidential election, when they appeared on public broadcasts wearing the crown, it was evident that they were unable to empathize with how others might perceive them, even when others wrote messages on their palms. Instead, they are solely preoccupied with the personal, almost magical significance that the crown holds for them. This is further evidenced by the current situation in their secretariat, where personnel reception is...

It is a very demanding situation, but there is a photo recently released by the presidential office in Yongsan. When Representative Han Dong-hoon went for a meeting, the photo shows that despite being released by the presidential office, there are always secretaries appearing in the picture next to him. I believe this should have been filtered out, and the fact that the president could not filter this indicates to me that he lacks the ability to reflect on how others might perceive the photo. This ability to understand that the same fact can be interpreted differently from other people's perspectives is something that is referred to in psychiatry. In Korean, it is known as 정신화, and I believe there are other expressions for it as well. A typical situation where this ability is lacking is seen in autism and antisocial behavior.

The president still has not provided scientific evidence for the increase in personnel. Instead, he arrogantly tells the medical community to bring forth a more scientific alternative if they have one. If there had been any scientific basis, it would have been recorded in the minutes of the meetings, and they could have confidently presented those records. However, there has been no news about the meeting minutes, and there is no information about who said what or what scientific evidence was brought forth. Moreover, despite 2,000 testimonies, there has been no proposal regarding how many doctors of various specialties will increase in specific regions each year. There has been no simulation conducted. Naturally, there has been no mention of the expected increase in national healthcare expenditures to the public.

I remember what the president said during the national address at that time. He mentioned that even if the number of doctors increases, the workload for doctors won't decrease, so there's no need to worry. What does that mean? If the number of doctors increases by 60%, does that mean the workload for doctors remains the same? This implies that overall medical expenses will increase. It seems that the government anticipates that medical expenses will rise for the public. Without asking whether the public agrees with this change, they have made doctors the scapegoat, and the citizens have been made to play the role of the Red Guards in this situation. In fact, the figure of 2,000 additional doctors is so absurd that it has shocked the medical community and seems to have aimed to completely disrupt the system. Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly clear that Kim Geon-hee is ultimately at the core of this decision, as it has been revealed that Kim Geon-hee is pushing for the addition of 2,000 doctors.

It seems that when we firmly adhere to certain words, it indicates that there must be some economic benefit related to oneself when observing the footprints of someone like Kim Geon-hee. While the citizens are suffering and children are in ambulances, I also saw in the news that there was a company called 21 involved in the presidential residence construction, which has been revealed to have connections with Kim Geon-hee. The process of this expansion and the decision-making regarding this company were audited by the Board of Audit and Inspection, but they have not been able to disclose the meeting minutes. The fact that they cannot disclose the minutes during this national audit raises questions. Why did the presidential residence expansion, which was unnecessary, move from Cheong Wa Dae to Yongsan, and why was unnecessary money spent? Where did that money go? There are no meeting minutes, and the decision to increase medical school enrollment was also made without any minutes. Through these changes, it seems that...

Who benefits from the gains that occur? Is it the people? If the procedures for tax expenditure were genuinely carried out for the citizens, why on earth can’t the meeting minutes be made public? I believe the only way for conservatives to survive is to actively pursue an investigation into Kim Geon-hee and impeach the president. Implementing policies that endanger the health of the citizens while trampling on the basic rights of the youth—could this be the essence of conservatism? It seems to me that this is nothing more than a dangerous gamble with an unclear objective. The contents of the impeachment are truly important. I believe that the abuse of power in restricting the freedom of choice for ten thousand doctors for several months must be held accountable. Additionally, the limitation of medical students' right to education and the obstruction of their freedom to take a leave of absence through the abuse of power must be included in the impeachment documents.

If the impeachment process is limited to issues like Kim Geon-hee wielding power through unofficial means or the Choi Sang-bong incident, I believe it will not help the future of South Korea at all, even if impeachment is carried out. Even if the opposition party gains power afterward, the rights of both doctors and young people will still be trampled by those in power. It is essential to clearly establish that violating the Constitution can lead to presidential impeachment, and this opportunity must be documented as a precedent. If the National Assembly does not include this matter in the impeachment proceedings, once this incident passes and someone else takes power, young people will inevitably have their freedoms restricted again. As the population decreases, it seems that inevitable events are unfolding. For politicians, the votes of the diminishing younger population are becoming less important compared to the increasingly significant votes of the elderly. In South Korea, young people are becoming more and more burdened.

Policies will be implemented to ensure that the elderly live well, regardless of the impeachment's outcome. It's not about whether impeachment will happen; rather, it's about the content of the impeachment that could potentially prevent a dystopian future for South Korea. This medical corruption incident has led me to think about two literary works. First, I was reminded of Kazuo Ishiguro, the Nobel Prize-winning author, and his novel Never Let Me Go. Without spoiling it for those who haven't read it yet, the story explores a society where young people are exploited by the elderly. The young characters, who are the targets of this exploitation, seek to maintain their self-esteem and find value in their existence by reflecting nostalgically on the prestigious private academy they graduated from. The prestigious school featured in the novel resonates with me.

I felt that the title of a Korean doctor is quite metaphorically equivalent. The second work that came to mind is Stephen King's original novel and movie, The Shawshank Redemption. When translated into English, the original title is actually closer to Shawshank Prison. This movie is so famous that it's hard to find someone who hasn't seen it, and it has consistently maintained its top position on IMDb, making it an incredible work. In the film, the protagonist, Andy Dufresne, is wrongfully accused and imprisoned, and he plans an escape. During this process, he helps the prison warden while secretly plotting his escape. Despite the unjust situation, Korean medical students and young doctors endure and plan for the future, but they must navigate through the muck and mire. I reflect on my training experience in Korea and the preparation process in the military, which I didn't enjoy.

I believe that if you endure and get through it, a good future is waiting for you. In the movie, Andy Dufresne had a good friend named Red, and I had my wife and family with me, which helped me endure that process. Looking back, it was a difficult time, but I think it was meaningful. Right now, many young Korean doctors and medical students may feel very frustrated and wonder why these things are happening to them, leading to a lot of self-doubt. But don't give up; always hold onto hope. The more you do, the sweeter your escape will be. I will end today's discussion here. I know it was a bit disorganized, but there have been so many absurd news stories lately that it has been difficult to weave them together meaningfully. There are so many nonsensical things happening that making sense of them is not easy.

In the first few minutes, if I notice that this person’s pressure is low, their logical flow is completely disrupted, and their reality-testing ability is diminished, I will prioritize stopping the interview because it's a waste of time. I then call the guardian to ask what has been happening and how the guardian perceives the patient. This is important because any responses from a person whose logical flow is disrupted are completely unreliable. What we can definitively conclude from the interview is that this person has diminished reality-testing abilities and has delusions. I usually conduct interviews in this manner with patients suffering from severe delusions or serious schizophrenia. The medical malpractices occurring in Korea and all the foul actions happening in Yongsan must come to an end. We cannot just stand by and watch this.

It is meaningless because it has become that way. I think we have passed the stage of facing each other to resolve issues, and I believe there is no more to be done. Please, the Seoul National University student committee, stop now. Stop listening to the medical history of the envious patients; do what you can do from your current position. I know you can't go on strike while abandoning patients; I don't expect that either. However, if you truly hold the title of educator or professor, then do what you can as a professor. The inability to strike is something you can do as a doctor, right? The government is undermining the Medical Evaluation Board, amending presidential directives, and turning medical education into a mess. Are you just going to watch? What are the professors doing to protect the medical education system? What efforts are being made to ensure that students can return next year? When the students come back, will you be able to stand proudly in front of them and provide them with a truly honorable medical education?

Do you think I can convey this? When they return, what actions should I take now to be able to speak as a proud educator? I think it's something worth considering. That's all for today.

의료대란은 김건희 작품 ?  대통령 탄핵 여부보다 내용이 중요한 이유

이주영 도미연구소 

The Controversial Increase of Doctors in South Korea

The president's address suggested that an increase in doctors would not reduce their workload, implying rising medical expenses for the public.

The government's decision to add 2,000 doctors, driven by Kim Geon-hee, has shocked the medical community and disrupted the system.

The lack of transparency in the decision-making process and the connection to the presidential residence's construction raise questions about the government's intentions and the impact on medical education.

The procedures for tax expenditure are questioned, with a call for transparency through public meeting minutes.

The author advocates for an investigation into Kim Geon-hee and the impeachment of the president due to the abuse of power and infringement on citizens' rights.

The lack of empathy and understanding of others' perspectives is criticized, drawing parallels to autism and antisocial behavior, while also highlighting the struggles of Korean medical students and young doctors in navigating an unjust system.

The Impact of Impeachment on South Korea's Future

The impeachment process focused on issues like Kim Geon-hee's unofficial power and the Choi Sang-bong incident may not benefit South Korea's future.

The rights of young people and doctors will continue to be trampled by those in power, and failing to establish a precedent for constitutional violations could lead to repeated restrictions on freedoms.

The country's declining population and economic difficulties, along with the current focus on the Kim Geon-hee issue, are obstructing progress and failing to address critical matters like the medical crisis and declining birth rates.

Challenges in Interviewing Patients with Delusions

Interviewing patients with low pressure, disrupted logical flow, and diminished reality-testing is often unproductive.

It's crucial to involve the guardian for reliable information about the patient's condition.

The speaker reflects on the difficult times faced by young Korean doctors and the recent severe scandals in the administration, expressing hope for a better future.

The President's Arrogance and the Medical Crisis

The president has not provided scientific evidence for the increase in personnel and dismisses the medical community's concerns.

There has been no transparency regarding meeting minutes or proposals for increasing doctors in specific regions.

The ongoing medical crisis is being overshadowed by impeachment discussions, and the author's reflections on the situation are influenced by Kazuo Ishiguro's novel "Never Let Me Go.