Nurturing Regional Doctors to Resolve Medical Disparities

- A total of 91 laws and regulations, including the Act on the Training and Support of Regional Physicians, will take effect in February

Starting in February, various systems aimed at strengthening the public safety net will be implemented, such as introducing a regional physician system to address medical disparities, strengthening the obligations of licensed real estate agents to prevent 'jeonse' (lump-sum deposit lease) fraud, and allowing debtors to open seizure-exempt living expenses accounts to ensure their basic living needs. The Ministry of Government Legislation (Minister Cho Won-cheol) announced that a total of 91 laws and regulations will take effect this February. Some of the key details and enforcement dates of the forthcoming statutes are as follows.

Introduction of a Regional Physician System to Address Medical Disparities (Act on the Training and Support of Regional Physicians, February 24)

A regional physician system will be introduced to resolve the imbalance in the supply and demand of medical personnel between regions and the disparity in regional medical services. The regional physician system is divided into service-obligated regional physicians and contract-based regional physicians. Service-obligated regional physicians refer to individuals selected through a university admissions process who are required to work for 10 years at regional medical institutions, while contract-based regional physicians refer to specialists who enter into contracts to work in specific regions for a certain period of time. Going forward, regional physicians will receive support for housing, job training, and career development. In particular, service-obligated regional physicians will receive financial support for expenses such as admission fees, tuition, and dormitory fees.

Strengthening the Obligations of Licensed Real Estate Agents to Prevent 'Jeonse' Fraud (Licensed Real Estate Agents Act, February 15)

In order to protect tenants from 'jeonse' rental fraud, the obligation for licensed real estate agents to present supporting documents regarding brokered properties will be reinforced. In particular, there have recently been many cases of fraud in which the owner of a leased building was a trust company, resulting in tenants being treated as illegal occupants upon public auction, or in which tenants were unaware that the leased housing was an unauthorized building. Under this amendment, however, licensed real estate agents will be required to present, in addition to a certificate of registered matters, documents such as a trust ledger and a certified copy of the building ledger, so that tenants can verify whether the property is owned by a trust company or is an illegal building. This measure is expected to reduce the risk of 'jeonse' fraud.

Introduction of Seizure-exempt Living Expenses Accounts to Protect Debtors' Basic Living Needs (Civil Execution Act, February 1)

In order to ensure the basic living needs of debtors and their families, seizure-exempt living expenses accounts will be introduced. Starting in February, any citizen may open one basic living expenses account per person, and deposits within the prescribed living expenses limit kept in such accounts may be used without concern for seizure. This amendment is expected to support the economic recovery of vulnerable groups such as small business owners and young adults, and to contribute to strengthening the public safety net.

Strengthening Sanctions against Educational Officials Involved in Admissions Corruption (Educational Officials Act, February 15)

In order to ensure fairness in admissions, the statute of limitations for disciplinary action against educational officials involved in admissions corruption will be extended. Previously, the statute of limitations for disciplinary action against misconduct by educational officials was 3 years, which often made it difficult to impose effective sanctions due to the expiration of the limitation period even when the allegations of admissions fraud were proven to be true. Going forward, in cases where an educational official engages in conduct that undermines fairness—such as exerting undue influence in the student selection for admission into high schools, universities, or graduate schools—a new special provision will set the statute of limitations at 10 years, thereby strengthening sanctions against educational officials involved in admissions corruption.

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