Medical impasse in South Korea: Government withdraws plans to suspend licenses of striking doctors

The South Korean government announced it would withdraw previous plans to revoke the licenses of striking doctors in an effort to end the long-standing impasse in the country’s medical sector.

Health Minister Cho KyooHong said the government had decided not to revoke the strikers’ licenses, regardless of whether they returned to their hospitals or not.

More than 13,000 junior doctors and interns went on strike in February in protest against the government’s plans to significantly increase university admissions.

Their strikes have placed a significant strain on the operations of the university hospitals where they worked during their training.

Their strikes suffered a setback after a Seoul court ruled in favor of the government’s plans in May.

The government later withdrew its plan to revoke the licenses of doctors who returned to their hospitals, but did not revoke the licenses of other doctors who stayed away from work.

A court in Seoul approved the government’s plans in May.

The government later withdrew its plan to revoke the licenses of doctors who returned to their hospitals, but did not revoke the licenses of other doctors who stayed away from work.

Officials have announced plans to increase the number of doctors by up to 10,000 by 2035 to address the country’s rapidly ageing population and shortages of doctors in rural areas and in low-paying but essential specialties such as pediatrics and emergency departments.