Current status and plans for development of medical self-regulation in Korea

ABSTRACT

Following several medical scandals, the issue of medical regulation has come under the spotlight in the Republic of Korea. In this article, the authors examine the administrative measures newly required of doctors in the past five years in order to illustrate the current state of medical regulation and demonstrate the urgent need for self-regulation. The history of the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom and its newly launched system of "revalidation" can provide an instructive example of a self-regulation system, and it suggests several principles for self-regulation in Korea. The recent disarray can be viewed as an opportunity to introduce a new system of self-regulation. The authors present three principles-professionalism, transparency, and fairness-for a successful system of medical regulation.