New PM inaugurated, vows to overcome political confrontation, economic crisis
President Lee Jae Myung on Monday asked new Prime Minister Kim Min-seok to "actively address" and come up with solutions to the government's prolonged standoff with the medical community over medical school quotas and health care reform.
Woo Sang-ho, senior presidential secretary for political affairs, told a press briefing that Lee made the request during a luncheon with Kim, following the new prime minister's inauguration ceremony held in the morning.
"There was a report that the prime minister plans to meet with related parties regarding the issue of trainee doctors and medical students returning. The president has asked (Kim) to actively deal with the issue," Woo said.
Since February last year, thousands of trainee doctors have walked off their jobs, while many medical students have boycotted classes in protest of the government's decision to expand the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000.
The government later backtracked and reversed the quota for next year to the previous level of some 3,000. However, several trainee doctors and medical students have yet to fully return to schools and hospitals.
Kim is planning to schedule a meeting with several members representing the medical community, including the president of the Korean Medical Association, Kim Taek-woo, to try and resolve the ongoing conflict, sources close to the matter said Sunday.
During a Cabinet meeting held Thursday, Lee instructed his senior aides to come up with sustainable solutions, involving sufficient dialogue with the medical community, to help resolve the issue.
Meanwhile, Kim, during his morning inauguration ceremony, pledged to overcome the lingering political turmoil stemming from former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s failed martial law bid and the ongoing economic crisis.
“I plan to overcome the wounds of the insurrection and the second (economic crisis similar to the) International Monetary Fund crisis (of 1997-98) and become a chief of staff who ushers in an era of a great South Korea, a great people and a great president,” he said at the ceremony.
The event, four days after the National Assembly confirmed his nomination on Thursday, was held at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong. Kim is the first prime minister under Lee.
Kim further vowed to look after the safety of the people by overseeing the “comprehensive situation” across the country and the development of state affairs.
He expressed gratitude to the president for appointing him prime minister and the people for “opening a new era,” referring to Lee’s presidential election victory.
Ahead of the inauguration ceremony, Kim kicked off his itinerary for the day by presiding over a meeting to review the country’s disaster response system.
He visited the disaster monitoring and situation room within the Sejong government complex to check on preparedness for heat waves and potential floods.
Kim then visited a nearby construction site for a national museum to meet with construction workers and examine their working conditions. He asked the workers if there had been any industrial accidents on the site and expressed concerns over the ongoing heat wave.
Kim’s moves align with the instructions Lee gave during a Cabinet meeting Saturday, telling officials to come up with comprehensive measures to prevent industrial accidents.
Kim’s schedule this week will focus on events held in Sejong.
Kim was officially appointed as prime minister last week by the National Assembly, despite the opposition People Power Party having boycotted the parliamentary vote. The party called Kim “unqualified,” citing several scandals involving his earnings, spending and family members. In South Korea, the prime minister is the only Cabinet post that requires parliamentary approval.
In May, the Bank of Korea sharply slashed its economic growth forecast this year to 0.8 percent from its previous projection of 1.5 percent, citing weak consumption. Slowing export growth amid uncertainties tied to US tariff policies was another major reason.
That would be the lowest growth in five years, excluding major crisis periods like the COVID-19 pandemic.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
