In an anonymous online community accessible only to doctors and medical students, derogatory remarks were posted about a medical student whose family member died in the Jeju Air plane crash. These comments mocked the student for taking the national medical licensing exam. On January 1st, an online community post titled “Terrible Popular Post in the Doctor Community Regarding the Jeju Air Disaster” surfaced.
The author of the post, referred to as A, explained, “Some of you may have heard of the app called ‘Medistaff.’ It’s a closed community where only doctors or medical students can join. Screenshots are impossible, and all posts are watermarked.” A further explained, “The watermark contains personal information, so I’ve had to black it out for privacy reasons.”
A shared screenshots from the community where users were making fun of the situation. Among the images was a photo of medical student B, who lost his mother in the Jeju Air disaster, studying for the national medical exam at a disaster relief tent set up at Muan Airport. The national medical licensing exam is scheduled to take place on the 9th and 10th of January.
Comments from members of the Medistaff community included derogatory terms and phrases such as “Tangerine Average,” “Truly Respect the Tangerine,” “The child is a criminal, but the parent receives the punishment,” and more, turning a tragic situation into a source of ridicule. “Tangerine” is used mockingly to refer to medical students or residents who don’t participate in strikes or protests and remain in university hospitals.
As excessive mockery poured in, some community members urged restraint, saying, “Let’s not criticize” and “This is not right,” but derogatory comments like “Why shouldn’t we insult that bastard if he’s not the deceased?” continued.
A commented, “I couldn’t bear to see it and decided to expose it internally. The thought of such people providing medical care is horrifying. Please help spread this widely so the culprits can be caught.”
Netizens who read these remarks were appalled, commenting, “It’s disgusting how they call him ‘Tangerine’ and make crude jokes” and “It’s chilling that such people are responsible for our care.”
Last year, Medistaff saw the posting of a blacklist containing personal information about doctors and medical students who didn’t participate in collective medical actions. As a result, Gi Dong-hoon, the representative of Medistaff, is under police investigation for charges including evidence tampering and obstruction of business.