Junior physicians in South Korea have gone on strike since February 20 to protest the government’s effort to increase the intake of medical students, leading to a refusal to see patients and participate in surgeries. Thousands of doctors are taking part in this job action.

As of Tuesday, about 8,940 medical interns and residents have left their worksites in protest, disrupting the operations of major hospitals in South Korea and threatening to burden the country’s overall medical service. Now, authorities warned that they have until Thursday to return to work or face license suspensions and prosecutions.

The current situation regarding the strikes is as follows:

The government intends to increase the annual admission limit for medical schools in South Korea by 2,000, from the current number of 3,058.

South Korea’s enrollment plan aims to increase the number of doctors by 10,000 by 2035 in response to the rapid aging of the population. According to officials, the country currently has 2.1 physicians per 1,000 people, which is significantly lower than the average of 3.7 in other developed countries.

The doctors-in-training who are striking claim that schools are not equipped to deal with a sudden surge in the number of medical students. They anticipate that this would lead to excessive treatment, resulting in higher public medical costs. Additionally, like current medical students, most of the newly recruited students would likely choose to work in high-paying fields like plastic surgery and dermatology. This would contribute to the ongoing issue of a shortage of physicians in crucial but less lucrative areas such as pediatrics, obstetrics, and emergency medicine.

Some critics argue that the junior doctors on strike are only against the government’s plan due to concerns that increasing the number of doctors would lead to a decrease in their income.

Ahn Cheol-soo, a former doctor who is now a lawmaker in the ruling party, expressed his support for the government’s proposal on a televised program. However, he also stated that without taking necessary measures to persuade students to choose essential fields, he predicts that “Seoul will have 2,000 additional dermatology hospitals in 10 years.”

Due to the walkouts, hospitals have been forced to cancel many scheduled surgeries and other necessary medical procedures. On Friday, it was reported that an elderly patient experiencing a heart attack was pronounced deceased after seven hospitals refused to accept her due to a shortage of medical personnel or possibly due to the ongoing walkouts.

Junior physicians make up approximately 30% to 40% of the overall medical staff in certain prominent hospitals. They are responsible for assisting senior doctors during surgical procedures and caring for hospitalized patients. The protesters are part of a group of 13,000 medical residents and interns in the country, who are employed at approximately 100 hospitals located in South Korea.

Following the protests, the government has decided to lengthen the operating hours for public healthcare facilities, allow civilian access to emergency rooms in military hospitals, and grant nurses legal immunity for performing certain medical procedures traditionally carried out by physicians.

On Tuesday, Park Min-soo, the Vice Health Minister, stated that the nation’s management of crucial and urgent patients remains steady. However, experts warn that the quality of the country’s medical care could significantly decrease if the protests continue or if senior physicians also participate in the strike.

The Korea Medical Association, which speaks for approximately 140,000 physicians in South Korea, has consistently shown its backing of the trainee doctors. However, it has not yet decided whether or not to participate in their planned strikes.

According to Park Jiyong, a spinal surgeon from South Korea, it is expected that experienced doctors from prominent university hospitals will participate in the upcoming walkout, resulting in a potential shutdown of these facilities.

Park, the vice minister of health, stated on Monday that the government will not take any measures against the protesting doctors if they resume work by Thursday. However, he cautioned that those who do not comply with the deadline will receive a punishment of at least three months suspension of their medical licenses and may face additional legal actions, including investigations and charges from prosecutors.

However, it is unlikely that the strikers will retreat anytime soon.

The law in South Korea permits the government to demand doctors return to work in cases of serious public health threats. If a doctor declines to comply with this order, they may have their medical license suspended for a maximum of one year and may also be subject to a 30-million-won fine or up to three years in jail. Those who are sentenced to imprisonment will also lose their medical licenses.

It is speculated by some that government officials will likely restrict penalties for strike organizers in order to avoid exacerbating the pressure on hospital operations.

Doctors are among the highest-paid professionals in South Korea, and the trainees’ walkout has so far failed to win public support, with a survey showing that about 80% of respondents support the government’s recruitment plan.

A 57-year-old cancer patient named Kim Myung-ae expressed frustration, stating that doctors do not empathize with their patients and only prioritize their own gain in this country. She posed the question of what would happen if her mother needed an injection or faced death.