Reported 10 months ago
South Korean doctors took to the streets in March to protest the government's policy of expanding medical schools. The largest physician group in South Korea announced further action today to launch a comprehensive collective strike starting from the 18th. Prior to this, South Korea's resident and intern doctors had collectively stopped seeing patients for almost four months, with now even professor-level doctors joining the strike, potentially exacerbating the chaos in South Korean medical institutions. The South Korean Medical Association issued a protest statement today, criticizing the government's irresponsible medical school expansion plan. The association vowed to establish a special protest committee across the medical field to fight against the plan with all means necessary, including a full strike starting on June 18. The government and medical sector are facing a standoff as the Prime Minister of South Korea held a press conference in response to the Association's strike plans, expressing regret and blaming such actions for burdening the emergency medical system and leaving scars on South Korean society. Despite efforts to persuade doctors back to work, many are still reluctant, while medical professors have begun to support the younger generations' cause in resistance to the government's expansion plans, further heightening the tension between the medical sector and the government.
Source: YAHOO