Civic group files complaint against striking trainee doctors

SEOUL, A civic group filed a complaint Wednesday against trainee doctors, who have collectively resigned over the planned hike in medical school enrollment quotas, and leaders of a doctors' association, asking police to investigate them for violating the medical and other laws. The group, which calls itself the People's Livelihood Countermeasures Committee, said it submitted the complaint to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in the morning. The police agency was asked to investigate Kim Taek-woo, chief of the Korea Medical Association's emergency committee, a number of ranking KMA officials, and Park Dan, the head of the Korea Intern Resident Association, on eight counts of charges, including violation of the medical law, threats and coercion, the group said. It said a similar complaint was compiled against thousands of trainee doctors who have resigned from the five biggest general hospitals in Seoul this week. "The most important responsibility of the accused is to protect the lives and health of the people. But they neglected their responsibility, submitted letters of resignation and walked off the job for unjustifiable reasons, undermining the liberal democratic system and the rule of law," the group said in the complaint. It also accused the KMA emergency committee of having threatened and forced trainee doctors to go on strike by issuing inappropriate warnings about possible disadvantages for the strike participants. The civic group then urged the police to carry out a prompt and thorough investigation regardless of the number of trainee doctors who comply with the collective resignations. Source: Yonhap News Agency