Lee Jun-seok, the presidential candidate from the Reform Party, said on the 21st, "Among the 500 beds at Seongnam City Medical Center, which has received a cumulative support of 340 billion won, 200 are empty," and pointed out that "Lee Jae-myung, who established this place during his time as mayor of Seongnam, must take responsibility."
Lee Jun-seok visited Seongnam City Medical Center that day and made the remarks.
Seongnam City Medical Center is a public medical facility established by Lee Jae-myung during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam in 2016. Lee Jae-myung also pledged to expand public healthcare in this presidential election.
The candidate inspected the operation status of Seongnam City Medical Center that day and held discussions with officials. At one point, a civic group opposing the entrusted operation of Seongnam City Medical Center blocked the candidate in front of the main gate, causing a disturbance.
Currently, the conservative camp, including the People Power Party, is pushing for a plan to entrust the operation of Seongnam City Medical Center to private entities such as university hospitals, citing accumulated deficits.
The candidate noted, "I understand that the medical staff here are working hard in a limited environment but are facing many difficulties," and pointed out that "this is due to the lack of proper demand forecasting and research regarding public healthcare when it was established."
He went on to say, "Most domestic hospitals operate under the health insurance payment system and maintain a public nature, so the premise that only public medical facilities can fulfill the public sector is fundamentally flawed."
He added, "If there are areas that cannot be handled by general hospitals, it is essential to first discover regional medical models that specialize in those areas."
The candidate also targeted Lee Jae-myung, stating, "I am prepared to point out the operational status of Seongnam City Medical Center seen today during the TV debate," adding, "However, I wonder if there will be enough time since Lee Jae-myung has many areas where he promotes 'eccentric economics.'"