If public health doctors' service is reduced to two years and the cap on their remuneration is abolished, what is left for doctors already serving and for the private institutions where doctors are placed? Five questions on Bill No. 2221849 to amend the Special Act on Health and Medical Care in Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc.

Which stage's materials were read?

This article reads a bill introduced by a member of the National Assembly. The National Participation Legislation Center screen shows that Representative Lee Su-jin and 10 others introduced it on October 8, 2026, that it was referred to the Health and Welfare Committee on October 12, 2026, and that on the same day it was also referred to the Agriculture, Food, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Committee and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee as related committees.

The reference note of the original text states that this bill presupposes the passage of the amendments to the Military Service Act, the Military Personnel Act, the Act on Public-Interest Legal Officers, and the Act on Public Health Veterinarians, all introduced by the same member as the primary sponsor, and that if those bills are not passed or are amended, this bill must be adjusted accordingly. Since this article did not read the original texts of those four bills, it addresses only the provisions changed within this bill.

Sources for this section: National Participation Legislation Center, National Assembly Legislation Status: Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Bill No. 2221849) · PDF of the original text of the Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Introduced by Representative Lee Su-jin as the primary sponsor, Bill No. 2221849)

What the current provisions now provide

Current Article 7, paragraph (1) fixes the mandatory service period of public health doctors at 3 years, in addition to the period of military training call-up received under Article 55 of the Military Service Act, and paragraph (2) provides that upon completion of this period, the person is deemed to have completed service as a social service agent under Article 34, paragraph (2) of the Military Service Act.

Article 11, paragraph (1) provides that the Minister of Health and Welfare shall pay remuneration to public health doctors within the limits of military remuneration, but that the remuneration of public health doctors assigned to a private medical institution established under Article 3 of the Medical Service Act, among the institutions or facilities under Article 5-2, paragraph (1), subparagraph 5, shall be paid by the head of that private medical institution. Paragraphs (3) through (5) provide for surveys of the status of remuneration and requests for data by the Minister, and for cancellation or reduction of assignment to institutions that fail to pay remuneration, etc. without justifiable grounds, while paragraph (6) entrusts the remuneration standards under paragraph (1) to the Presidential Decree.

As for health care posts, Article 15, paragraph (2) provides that one head of a health care post and necessary staff shall be appointed, and that the head shall be a public official dedicated to health care. Article 24 provides that matters concerning the service of such dedicated public officials that are not prescribed by this Act shall follow the Local Public Officials Act. Article 44, paragraph (1) of the Local Public Officials Act provides that remuneration shall be determined by rank, position, and duty grade, while subparagraph 1 thereof permits separate determination for public officials whose duties are of an exceptionally high degree of difficulty and responsibility, or whose vacancies are difficult to fill.

Sources for this section: Korea Legislation Research Institute National Law Information Center: Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Act No. 20449, effective September 20, 2024) · Korea Legislation Research Institute National Law Information Center: Local Public Officials Act Article 44 (Act No. 21857, effective October 2, 2026)

What the bill seeks to change

Article 7, paragraph (1) is amended to 2 years, including the period of military training call-up. Article 11, paragraph (1) is changed from 'within the limits of military remuneration' to 'at an appropriate level as prescribed by the Presidential Decree', and paragraph (6) is deleted.

New Article 24-2, paragraph (1) treats public officials dedicated to health care as the public officials under Article 44, paragraph (1), subparagraph 1 of the Local Public Officials Act, provides that remuneration payment standards shall be separately determined, and includes special area work allowances, special duty work allowances, etc. Paragraph (2) provides that the mayor, county head, or ward head shall pay the remuneration of health care post employees as prescribed by the Minister of Health and Welfare, and paragraph (3) provides that the State and local governments shall provide financial and administrative support for housing, transportation, job training, career development, etc.

The supplementary provisions provide that the Act shall enter into force 6 months after promulgation; Article 2 thereof applies the shortening provision beginning with cases of incorporation as public health doctors under Article 34, paragraph (1) of the Military Service Act after the entry into force; and Article 3 provides that, for public health doctors appointed before the entry into force, the Minister of National Defense shall determine their service periods by time of incorporation, after consultation with the Minister of Health and Welfare, taking into account the manpower supply and demand plan, etc.

Sources for this section: PDF of the original text of the Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Introduced by Representative Lee Su-jin as the primary sponsor, Bill No. 2221849)

Which supplementary provision applies to a person whose status spans incorporation and appointment?

Article 2 of the supplementary provisions takes as its criterion cases of incorporation after the entry into force, and Article 3 takes cases of appointment before the entry into force. Since incorporation and appointment may occur at different times, a person who was incorporated before the entry into force but appointed after it falls, as a matter of wording, into neither of the two supplementary provisions.

In addition, while Article 3 grants the Minister of National Defense the authority to determine the shortened period, the Act sets neither an upper nor a lower limit. Whether persons who began serving in the same year will serve 3 years, 2 years, or some period in between depends on the determination of the Minister of National Defense according to the time of incorporation. It may be asked whether the form of this determination and the manner of its disclosure should be specified in the Act.

Current Article 7, paragraph (2) deems a public health doctor who has completed the mandatory service period to have completed service as a social service agent. Since the amendment does not revise this paragraph, whether existing service members who have completed a shortened period set by the Minister of National Defense receive the same deemed treatment must be read together with the determination under Article 3 of the supplementary provisions and Article 7, paragraph (2). It may be asked whether this connection should be expressly stated in the supplementary provisions.

Sources for this section: PDF of the original text of the Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Introduced by Representative Lee Su-jin as the primary sponsor, Bill No. 2221849) · Korea Legislation Research Institute National Law Information Center: Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Act No. 20449, effective September 20, 2024)

On what basis is an appropriate level of remuneration determined?

Amended Article 11, paragraph (1) removes the ceiling of the limits of military remuneration and sets as its standard an appropriate level prescribed by the Presidential Decree. Since current paragraph (6) already entrusted the remuneration standards to the Presidential Decree, the substance of this amendment lies in abolishing the ceiling. The factors to be considered in determining what is appropriate are not written in the Act.

Unlike Article 24-2, which expressly requires allowances for public officials dedicated to health care taking into account the working environment in medically underserved areas and the content of their duties, the provisions on public health doctors contain no such factors. It is worth asking why the remuneration standards for the two occupations are prescribed with different degrees of specificity within the same Act.

In addition, if the period of military training call-up is included within the 2 years, the period during which a person is actually assigned to and works at a public health center or a branch public health center becomes shorter than 2 years. The reasons for proposal state that there were 1,023 unstaffed branch public health centers in 2026, but the original text contains no estimate of whether the reduction in the assignment period per person can be offset by an increase in new incorporations. Whether this manpower calculation is taken into account in setting the remuneration standards remains to be seen.

Sources for this section: PDF of the original text of the Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Introduced by Representative Lee Su-jin as the primary sponsor, Bill No. 2221849) · Korea Legislation Research Institute National Law Information Center: Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Act No. 20449, effective September 20, 2024)

Who bears the increased remuneration of public health doctors assigned to private medical institutions?

The proviso to Article 11, paragraph (1) is not amended. The remuneration of public health doctors assigned to private medical institutions continues to be paid by the head of that institution. Once the ceiling disappears and an appropriate level is prescribed by the Presidential Decree, the remuneration borne by private institutions may also change accordingly.

Current Article 11, paragraph (5) permits cancellation or reduction of assignment to institutions that fail to pay remuneration, etc. without justifiable grounds. The original text does not determine whether this provision operates as it stands when private institutions cannot meet the new appropriate level, or whether the State supports the difference.

Article 5-2, paragraph (1), subparagraph 5, which forms the basis for assignment to private medical institutions, entrusts to the Presidential Decree the institutions or facilities for which assignment is necessary for the implementation of health and medical care policy. If the remuneration standards rise, which private institutions remain subject to assignment may also change, but the original text does not amend this subparagraph.

Sources for this section: PDF of the original text of the Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Introduced by Representative Lee Su-jin as the primary sponsor, Bill No. 2221849) · Korea Legislation Research Institute National Law Information Center: Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Act No. 20449, effective September 20, 2024)

Whose finances bear the remuneration of health care post employees and the support obligations?

Article 24-2, paragraph (2) provides that the mayor, county head, or ward head shall pay the remuneration of health care post employees as prescribed by the Minister of Health and Welfare. This is a structure in which the payment standards are set by the central ministry while payment is made by the basic local government. Paragraph (3) states the duty that the State and local governments shall provide support, but does not divide which matters are to be prescribed by the Presidential Decree and which by municipal ordinances.

Paragraph (1) provides that a public official dedicated to health care is deemed a public official under Article 44, paragraph (1), subparagraph 1 of the Local Public Officials Act. That provision is one that allows remuneration to be determined separately, but the amendment states that it shall be separately determined, which reads like an obligation. The original text does not state who determines the separately determined payment standards.

Sources for this section: PDF of the original text of the Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Introduced by Representative Lee Su-jin as the primary sponsor, Bill No. 2221849) · Korea Legislation Research Institute National Law Information Center: Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Act No. 20449, effective September 20, 2024) · Korea Legislation Research Institute National Law Information Center: Local Public Officials Act Article 44 (Act No. 21857, effective October 2, 2026)

What happens to this bill if the four prerequisite bills are amended?

The reference note only states that it presupposes the passage of the four bills including the Military Service Act. Because the period of 2 years, including the period of military training call-up, is interlocked with the incorporation and the deemed completion of service under Article 34 of the Military Service Act, if the amendment to the Military Service Act is modified to a different period, the application standard of Article 7, paragraph (1) and of the supplementary provisions must also be changed.

Since this article did not read those four bills, it could not verify whether the periods match one another. The timing of adjustment may also differ depending on whether the five bills are examined together in the same committee or are divided among committees with different jurisdictions.

Sources for this section: PDF of the original text of the Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Introduced by Representative Lee Su-jin as the primary sponsor, Bill No. 2221849)

Commencement and remaining issues

Under Article 1 of the supplementary provisions, the Act enters into force after 6 months have elapsed following promulgation. The shortening of the service period is applied on the basis of incorporation, the special rules for existing service members on the basis of appointment, and the removal of the remuneration ceiling and the health care post provisions on the basis of the effective date, each differently.

The remaining issues are the gap between incorporation and appointment, the factors for considering an appropriate level, the remuneration burden of private institutions receiving assignments, the financial sharing for health care posts, and consistency with the linked bills. Since this article read only the original text at the stage of referral to the standing committee as of October 16, 2026, whether later amendments or alternative bills are reflected must be checked again.

Sources for this section: PDF of the original text of the Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Introduced by Representative Lee Su-jin as the primary sponsor, Bill No. 2221849) · National Participation Legislation Center, National Assembly Legislation Status: Partial Amendment to the Special Act on Healthcare for Farming and Fishing Villages, Etc. (Bill No. 2221849)