Seoul - In a significant development amid the ongoing medical professionals' strike, Seoul police conducted a raid on Dcinside Co., an operator of a popular online community, investigating allegations of a blacklist targeting doctors abstaining from the strike. The controversy stems from a document supposedly issued by the Korea Medical Association (KMA), which was found circulating on the platform.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the document in question bore the KMA chairman's seal and outlined directives for compiling and circulating a list of interns and resident doctors who have chosen not to join the strike against the government's proposed increase in medical school admissions. Police Commissioner Cho Ji-ho emphasized the operation aimed to verify the document's authenticity and its implications in the ongoing industrial action by medical trainees.
While the KMA has denounced the document as counterfeit, asserting that the seal was forged, the repercussions of its online dissemination continue to unfold. In response, a civic group has accused the KMA and its executives of encouraging discriminatory practices against non-participating doctors, prompting a broader police investigation into the association's leadership for potentially inciting the walkout.
The investigation has also extended to five current and former KMA officials following allegations that they may have played roles in orchestrating the strike, potentially facing charges of business obstruction. Although two individuals have been interrogated, Commissioner Cho mentioned it is premature to consider arrest warrants at this stage of the inquiry.