SEOUL: The largest South Korean doctors’ advocacy group voted Sunday to impeach its chief, holding him responsible for poor responses to a prolonged walkout by junior doctors and various other controversies. During an emergency assembly of representatives, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) decided to impeach Lim Hyun-taek after holding a vote of confidence and approved the formation of an emergency committee.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lim took office in March, a month after thousands of trainee doctors began leaving their workplaces in protest of the government’s decision to raise the medical school quota by around 2,000 annually for the next five years or so to address a shortage of doctors. However, the hard-liner chief has faced criticism for failing to play a role in resolving the walkout and making improper comments on the current health care service disruptions.

The impeachment is expected to help make progress in talks between the government and the medical community in hopes of a breakthr
ough, according to some officials. The KMA said it plans to hold a by-election to elect a new chief in 60 days.