The trouble surrounding Jinju Medical Center entered a new phase as the South Gyeongsang Provincial Government and the medical trade union agreed to postpone its closure and resume talks over its operation.

Governor Hong Joon-pyo, who pushed shutting down the hospital because of its financial hardships, said on Tuesday evening that he will defer his plan for one month and reopen talks with the labor union.

The governor’s offer was made after two union members tied themselves to a steel tower on the rooftop of the provincial government’s office. With Hong taking a step back, the two called off their protest and said they would take reform measures in order to normalize the hospital’s operation.

The former chairman of the ruling Saenuri Party also said he will offer free medical services to low-income families in the region and requested the central government to increase its support to regional public hospitals.

Despite the progress, the dispute over the hospital is likely to continue with the governor keeping his shutdown plan open and the deepening confrontation between council members from the ruling Saenuri Party and the opposition parties.

Councilors from both sides have been clashing over the shutdown proposal. Progressive politicians and the union prevented Saenuri councilors from attending a plenary session of the local assembly. The ruling party members also used force to prevent opposition councilors from intervening.

Questions also remain over whether the provincial government and the union could reach a final agreement on normalizing the hospital’s operation over the next four weeks, observers said.

The nation’s second-oldest public hospital was to close down on May 2. The plan drew widespread criticism for abandoning the hospital’s public role to serve low-income and elderly citizens. Patients including those who were in critical condition were forced to leave the medical institution starting last month.

A total of five patients died after they left the hospital, according to Rep. Kim Yong-ik, a progressive lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic United Party.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)