By Cho Chung-unCouncilors from the ruling Saenuri Party in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, on Tuesday railroaded a bill that legally formalized the recent closure of a troubled public hospital, despite fierce protests by the main opposition Democratic Party and the labor union.The bill was approved by a majority of councilors from the ruling party only five minutes after it was brought up to an emergency meeting at the provincial assembly. After a tussle among rival party members, speaker Kim Oh-young declared that the bill won majority approval after simply confirming Saenuri members’ verbal consent, opposition members said.Last month, Governor Hong Joon-pyo announced that the provincial government would shut down Jinju Medical Center, citing snowballing losses. The former ruling party leader sparked a nationwide controversy when he warned that the government would shut down the country’s second-oldest public hospital unless its operations improved.With the approval, the hospital and its properties will be put on sale. ()
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