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President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a roundtable on emergency medical services at the National Medical Center in Jung District, Seoul, on Sept. 29. / Source: Yonhap News

President Lee Jae-myung on Monday stressed the need to expand public healthcare and fill shortages in regional and essential medical services.

Visiting the National Medical Center in Seoul ahead of the Chuseok holiday, Lee inspected emergency medical facilities and underscored that “Korea is one of the countries with the lowest proportion of public healthcare when measured by hospital beds and other standards. Yet it also has one of the strongest healthcare coverage systems in the world, which means Korean people enjoy substantial benefits. The high level of coverage despite difficult conditions is largely thanks to the dedication and sacrifice of medical professionals.”

He added that reports of so-called “ER shopping,” where patients are turned away by multiple emergency rooms, appeared to be declining. “From what I sense, complaints and reports about this issue have decreased, suggesting the situation may have improved somewhat. I’d like to hear more about the current conditions,” he said.

Lee also offered words of encouragement to frontline staff: “Public trust in healthcare remains very high, and your role is crucial. Over the past two to three years of what some called a medical crisis, you endured immense hardship. While challenges are not fully resolved, it is reassuring that many things are returning to normal.”

He expressed particular gratitude to those working in public healthcare, saying, “As someone responsible for the nation’s healthcare, I deeply appreciate your efforts.”

According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, National Medical Center chief Seo Gil-jun told Lee during a closed-door session that addressing ER overcrowding requires strengthening networks for critical care, expanding the role of regional emergency control centers, applying AI to allocate resources, and establishing systematic management for cases where emergency patients are denied admission.

Medical professionals at the meeting raised concerns about workforce shortages following the resignation of residents during past labor disputes, pay disparities that make recruitment difficult, and the need for the finance ministry to expand nursing staff allocations.

In response, Lee asked the health minister to devise support measures for public hospitals, noting losses they sustained during the COVID-19 period. He also showed keen interest in the deployment of doctor helicopters, suggesting that integrating operations into a centralized system might be more effective than running small-scale services by region.