Amid ongoing conflict in the medical community triggered by the policy to increase medical school admissions, a large number of doctors have been recommended as candidates for Minister of Health and Welfare to lead the new government's health care and social welfare policies.
These include Lee Guk-jong, a specialist in severe trauma and director of the Daejeon Armed Forces Hospital; Kang Cheong-hee, a thoracic surgeon and Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea's Special Committee on Health and Medical Services; Jeong Eun-kyeong, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine who served as the first Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency during the Moon Jae-in administration; Jeon Hyun-hee, a dentist and Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker; and Kim Yoon, a former professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea.
The presidential office has decided to conduct the 'Finding the Real Worker Project' from the upcoming 16th for a week, through the Ministry of Personnel Management's website, the official social media accounts of President Lee Jae-myung, and email, allowing the public to recommend candidates for public office, including ministers.
According to a briefing held at the Yongsan presidential office on the 11th afternoon, a total of 11,324 recommendations were received on the first day of implementing the public recommendation system. The positions with the most candidates recommended were Minister of Justice, Minister of Health and Welfare, and Prosecutor General, in that order.
The Busan Medical Association recommended Lee Guk-jong, a specialist in severe trauma and director of the Daejeon Armed Forces Hospital, on the 11th. As a professor at Ajou University Hospital in 2011, he saved Captain Seok Hae-kyun, who was shot while suppressing Somali pirates during the 'Operation Dawn of Aden Gulf.' The government initiated the regional trauma center project by amending the law on the occasion of this incident.
Jeong Eun-kyeong, a former Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and a strong candidate for Minister of Health and Welfare since just before the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung administration, and Kang Cheong-hee, Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea's Special Committee on Health and Medical Services, were also recommended.
Jeong Eun-kyeong, a professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine, led the COVID-19 quarantine efforts as the first Commissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency during the Moon Jae-in administration. In the 21st presidential election, she served as the General Chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea's Central Election Strategy Committee. Thoracic surgeon Kang Cheong-hee has held positions such as Executive Vice Chairperson of the 38th and 39th Korean Medical Association, Executive Director of the National Health Insurance Corporation's Benefits Division, and President of the Korea Public Organization Bank.
Doctors who are members of the National Assembly were also mentioned as ministerial candidates. They include Jeon Hyun-hee, a Democratic Party Standing Committee member and dentist, and Kim Yoon, a former professor at Seoul National University College of Medicine and Democratic Party member. Jeon served on the Health and Welfare Committee in the National Assembly, while Kim served as head of the Basic Medical Division of the Democratic Party's Basic Society Committee, participating in the formation of the Democratic Party's healthcare policy pledges.
Within and outside the Ministry of Health and Welfare, former officials from the Moon Jae-in administration are being mentioned as strong candidates. These include Kim Gang-lip, a visiting professor at Yonsei University Graduate School of Public Health who served as Vice Minister of Health and Welfare and Director of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Yang Sung-il, a former 1st Vice Minister of Health and Welfare.
Professor Kim Gang-lip has worked for 30 years at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, holding positions such as Director of Healthcare Industry Policy Bureau, Director of Social Services Policy, Director of Pension Policy, and Director of Health and Medical Policy. Former Vice Minister Yang Sung-il was active as a co-chair of the Welfare Policy Division at the Lee Jae-myung campaign think tank during the recent presidential election.
Additionally, former and current lawmakers, such as Shin Hyun-young, who was elected as the first proportional representative of the Democratic Party in the 21st National Assembly, Nam In-soon, a Democratic Party lawmaker, and Park Joo-min, a Democratic Party lawmaker, are also being mentioned as candidates for Minister of Health and Welfare.
The Minister of Health and Welfare in the Lee Jae-myung administration must address significant issues such as pension system reform, resolving conflicts in the medical community, and normalizing healthcare. President Lee Jae-myung put forward pension system reform as a key welfare pledge during the presidential election.
There is also the task of establishing public medical schools and hospitals. President Lee pledged to establish a public medical school each in Incheon, Jeonnam, and Jeonbuk, a general medical school in Gyeongbuk, and a public hospital specialized in children's treatment in Ulsan.
Current Minister Cho Kyu-hong and 2nd Vice Minister Park Min-soo submitted their resignations shortly after the 21st presidential election, but President Lee Jae-myung is known to have rejected them.