The so-called’Doctor License Revocation Act’ (amendment to the medical law), which the Korean Medical Association warned against a general strike, did not exceed the threshold of the National Assembly Legislative Judicial Committee. The National Assembly’s judiciary committee held a plenary meeting on the 26th and tried to deal with the amendment to the medical law, but opposition lawmakers strongly opposed it, saying, “We need to make amendments,” and eventually agreed to deal with it after further discussion. If the medical law amendment passed the judiciary committee, it was expected to be presented immediately to the plenary session held this afternoon.
Judiciary Committee decides to process after further discussion
Three ratifications of ILO’s core agreements passed
Urged to supplement the “intensifying labor-management anxiety”
The controversial amendment to the medical law is about revoking the license of a doctor who was sentenced to a prison sentence or higher for crimes other than negligence and negligence in business, and prohibiting re-issuance of the license for up to five years. According to the current law, medical personnel can only revoke their licenses when they violate the medical related laws, but they can also deprive them of their licenses in connection with other crimes.
In response, opposition lawmakers expressed concern, saying, “The amendment to the medical law will excessively infringe on doctors’ constitutional fundamental rights and freedom of choice”. Rep. Jang Je-won said, “For crimes that are likely to be socially criticized, such as murder and robbery, the license must be revoked, but it is against the principle of excessive prohibition to revoke a doctor’s license for a crime that is not related to a job, such as a traffic accident.” Insisted. Rep. Yun Han-hong also added, “There is a case law in the Constitutional Court saying that because lawyers, tax accountants and medical personnel are different, the grounds for disqualification should not be broadly defined.”
On the other hand, the ruling party lawmakers called for the legislation to pass, saying, “The level of ethics the people expect from doctors is higher than ever.” Democratic Party lawmaker Park Joo-min enumerates past cases in which doctors sentenced to imprisonment or higher for forced harassment and sexual assault were suspended for less than one year and emphasized that “the public thinks such people should not be treated, so a revised bill is necessary.” did. Rep. Kim Nam-guk also said, “Which people would like to see a doctor who committed a sex crime? It is common sense to change these laws.”
As the ruling and opposition parties could not narrow the gap in their positions, the judiciary committee chairman Yoon Ho-joong decided to postpone the amendment process, saying, “As the opinions of the opposition parties disagree, we decided to hold it at the plenary meeting and arrange the revised content at the next meeting.”
Meanwhile, three motions for ratification of the International Labor Organization (ILO) core agreement, the pledge of President Moon Jae-in’s presidential election, passed the plenary session of the National Assembly on that day. Korea has been under pressure from the international community because it has not ratified four of the ILO’s eight core agreements on basic labor rights. The Ministry of Employment and Labor evaluated that it will help to relieve trade risks by reducing the number of disputes over the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
However, it is also difficult to point out that some of the contents of the agreement that has been ratified by the National Assembly may conflict with domestic laws and systems, and pain is expected in the future. The Korea Employers Federation said, “If the ILO key agreement goes into effect, the right to organize unions will be greatly strengthened, which will intensify labor-management relations.” In the event of a strike), supplementary legislation should be prepared, such as prohibiting the entire occupation of the workplace.”
Reporters Nam Soo-hyun and Kim Nam-jun [email protected]
