Relay Protest Marks 348 Days Demanding Han‑yaksa Licensing Reform in South Korea

On the 31st, a rally held in front of the Blue House in Seoul continued the relay protest that has been ongoing for 348 days, urging a solution to the han‑yaksa (traditional Korean medicine pharmacist) issue. The demonstration was attended by Jeong Seok‑moon, director of the Korean Pharmaceutical Association, Yu Min‑sang, insurance director, and Lee Yoon‑pyo, publicity director, who emphasized the need to improve the han‑yaksa system and revise the licensing framework. They appealed to the government and the National Assembly to clearly delineate the licensing scope of pharmacists and han‑yaksa practitioners and to address the long‑standing problem promptly. Protest signs displayed slogans such as “Government broke promise on Korean medicine division, han‑yaksa license violation,” “Government and National Assembly resolve han‑yaksa issue immediately,” “Illegal han‑yaksa OUT,” and “Pharmacist is pharmacy, han‑yaksa ….”