Groups representing the nation's nurses pledged to hold President Yoon Suk Yeol politically responsible for vetoing the contentious Nursing Act.

An alliance that includes the Korean Nurses Association held a press conference following the president's veto on Tuesday, asserting that records prove the president broke his promise to pass the law.

The groups declared that they would fight to punish and expel those they called “unjust” politicians and government officials and to reveal the truth to the public.

They also accused the ruling People Power Party of making spiteful remarks about the bill, likening the comments to sharp daggers that pierced the hearts of nurses, while requesting that the National Assembly seek to re-pass the bill.

The Nursing Act was shepherded through the National Assembly by the main opposition Democratic Party in late April.

Proponents of the law say it will improve working conditions by specifying the roles and duties of nurses to prevent overwork, while detractors contend that it authorizes nurses to interfere in the duties of doctors and possibly provide legal grounds for nurses to open their own clinics.​