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South Korea announced on Monday that it would not impose penalties on thousands of striking doctors in an attempt to resolve a months-long standoff over medical training reforms that have caused significant disruption in hospitals.
Approximately 12,000 junior doctors have been on strike since February, protesting against the government’s plan to increase medical school admissions. The government argues that this measure is necessary to address one of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios among developed nations.
Doctors, however, claim that the reforms will compromise the quality of medical services. Proponents of the plan accuse the striking doctors of trying to protect their salaries and social status.
In response to the ongoing strike, which has led to the cancellation of key operations and treatments and prompted patient groups to stage protests, the government has scaled back the reforms. The original plan called for universities to admit 2,000 more medical students each year, but the revised plan still includes an increase in admissions, though the government has not specified the new number. The striking doctors have demanded the complete abandonment of the policy.
“Considering the field situations and demands from the medical field, the government has decided not to seek administrative action against all trainee doctors, regardless of whether they return to work or not,” Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said at a news conference. This decision marks a shift from the government’s previous stance, which included threats to suspend the medical licenses of striking doctors, a move that had sparked outrage from industry bodies.
Health Minister Cho explained that the decision was made because “minimizing the medical treatment gap for seriously ill patients is more in the public interest” than punitive measures against the striking doctors.
In May, the government finalized an admission quota hike of around 1,500 for medical schools for 2025, aiming to address doctor shortages and the country’s rapidly aging population.
While some senior doctors have joined the strike, the protest has not spread as widely as some medical groups had threatened. The government continues to seek a resolution to end the standoff and ensure the stability of medical services in the country.