South Korea drops plans to revoke striking doctors’ licenses

By Ju-min Park

SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea said on Monday it would abandon a plan to revoke the licenses of striking doctors, a concession aimed at ending a months-long strike sparked by the government’s decision to increase admissions to medical schools.

Thousands of medical students, including interns and residents, walked off the job in February, forcing major hospitals to limit non-emergency services and send patients back to the emergency room.

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said the government had decided not to revoke the striking doctors’ licenses, regardless of whether they return to work or not.

Cho said the decision to drop the threat of punitive measures was necessary because addressing the current shortage of medical supplies was “more urgent.”

Two-thirds of the country’s resident doctors and residents have walked out of their jobs in protest against a plan to increase the number of students admitted to medical schools each year by 2,000 to address what the government claims is a shortage of doctors.

The protesting young doctors believe that the government should first address salaries and working conditions before trying to increase the number of doctors.

Cho added that the government would build a “sustainable” health system that would not rely on the excessive work of junior doctors.

“Doctors in training, do not hesitate any longer and have the courage to make a decision. The government will ensure that you, our valuable resources who have chosen to provide basic medical care even under difficult circumstances, can concentrate on your training without worries,” Cho said at a briefing.

The minister also called on medical students to return and participate in the dialogue on their working conditions as well as the admission quota for medical school for 2026 and beyond.

(In paragraph 8, this story has been refiled to read “valuable” rather than “previous.”)

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Sharon Singleton)