For the last two weeks, procedures, appointments, and surgeries have all been disrupted in South Korea after thousands of junior doctors and medical interns, also known as trainee doctors, participated in a strike after ignoring demands from the government to cease walkouts from their occupations. Despite authorities warning them to return to work within a week of their protests, many disregarded them and continued walkouts, which have led to various protests, temporarily obstructing all hospital operations across the country. While many citizens believed it was going to be over in a short period of time, this notion has been disproved.
This issue began when the government announced its plan regarding the number of students admitted and enrolled into medical schools will be increased by 2,000 students starting in the 2025 school year, or almost by two-thirds, which South Korean President Yoon described as “non-negotiable.” Yoon argued that more doctors are necessary for South Korea’s aging population, which has recently grown due to the country’s massive decrease in its fertility rate. Officials state that South Korea has 2.1 physicians per 1,000 citizens, which is far below the average of 3.7 amongst developed countries.
Since the decision, over 9,000 out of 13,000 medical interns and residents, which is more than 70 percent, have refused to come to work as a form of protest against the decision. They argue that the new increase of admitted students is unfair, considering the previous years of work they invested into achieving where they are today. Many doctors have also hypothesized that if the annual quota suddenly rises, many universities would not be able to cope with the sudden increase of students in schools, and it would be ultimately detrimental for students’ development and learning, according to AP News. Furthermore, many also believe that the rise of people in a single occupation will also lead to more competition in the industry, which is directly related to a decrease in their annual salary.
Up to 10,000 trainee doctors, or 10 percent of all doctors in the country, have submitted resignations, but many of those requests are yet to be approved by hospitals as well as the government. These trainee or junior doctors have a crucial role, especially in large hospitals, as they support senior doctors in operations and often deal with patients directly. With the loss of thousands of such doctors in hospitals, the government has deemed the actions to be a threat against the country’s overall medical services and ordered all doctors to return to the workplace; if they fail to comply, they will face license suspensions. President Yoon commented, “it is impossible to justify collective action that takes people’s health hostage and threatens their lives and safety.”
Many of those who support the walkout are in the profession themselves or have family members who are associated with the industry. In response to the government’s reasoning about how more medical professionals are there to help the elderly population, members of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) stated that the government’s decision may worsen the status quo. “Newly recruited students would also try to work in the capital region and in high-paying fields like plastic surgery and dermatology,” Kim from AP News finds. “They say the government plan would also result in doctors performing unnecessary treatments due to increased competition.” On the flipside, many members of the Korean population are against the walkouts, believing that doctors and medical professionals are holding human lives hostage, in return for their monetary gains.
In the status quo, tensions remain high on both sides, and it seems like neither side is going to back down any time soon. Beyond license suspensions, the Korean government has even stated that those who have participated in the demonstrations can face up to three years in prison along with paying a fine around $22,500 USD. With a recent survey showing how roughly 80 percent of the Korean population agree with the government’s recruitment plan, it will be up to the medical professionals to choose between two choices: one that prioritizes their career or one that prioritizes ethics.
