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South Korea’s president vowed Monday not to back down in the face of vehement protests by doctors seeking to derail his plan to drastically increase medical school admissions, as he called their walkouts "an illegal collective action" that poses "a grave threat to our society."About 12,000 medical interns and residents in South Korea have been on strike for six weeks, causing hundreds of canceled surgeries and other treatments at university hospitals. In support of their action, many senior doctors at their teaching schools <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/south-korea-doctors-strike-escalates-senior-doctors-resign" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have also submitted resignations</a> though they haven’t stopped treating patients.Officials say they want to raise the yearly medical school cap by 2,000 from the current 3,058 to create more doctors to deal with the country’s rapidly aging population. Doctors counter that schools can’t handle such an abrupt increase in students and that it would eventually hurt the country’s medical services. But critics say doctors, one of the best-paid professions in South Korea, are simply worried that the supply of more doctors would result in lower future incomes.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/kim-jong-un-praises-top-tank-unit-encourages-war-preparations-tensions-south-korea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KIM JONG UN PRAISES TOP TANK UNIT, ENCOURAGES WAR PREPARATIONS AMID TENSIONS WITH SOUTH KOREA</a>Public surveys show that a majority of ordinary South Koreans support the government plan. But observers say many people are increasingly fed up with the protracted confrontation between the government and doctors, threatening to deal a blow to governing party candidates ahead of next week’s parliamentary elections.In a nationally televised address, President Yoon Suk Yeol said adding 2,000 medical students is the minimum increase needed to address a shortage of physicians in rural areas, the military and essential but low-paying professions like pediatrics and emergency departments. Yoon said South Korea's doctor-to-patient ratio — 2.1 physicians per 1,000 people — is far below the average of 3.7 in the developed world."Increasing the number of doctors is a state project that we can't further delay," Yoon said.Yoon urged the striking doctors to return to work, saying they have a responsibility to protect people's lives in line with the local medical law. He also said the government remains open to talks if doctors come up with a unified proposal that adequately explains their calls for a much smaller increase in the medical school enrollment quota."I can't tolerate an attempt to carry through their thoughts by force without due logic and grounds," Yoon said. "The illegal collective action by some doctors has become a grave threat to our society."Yoon said the recruitment plan won't lead to lower earnings for doctors, citing what he called expected increases in national income and demand for medical services in the fast-aging society. He said the average income of South Korean doctors is the highest in the developed world.Later Monday, the Korean Medical Association, which represents doctors in South Korea, criticized Yoon for repeating what his government has already argued to support the recruitment plan."It was an address that brought us greater disappointment because we had high hopes" for some changes in the government's position, Kim Sung-geun, a spokesperson for KMA’s emergency committee, told reporters.Yoon said the government is taking final administrative <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/why-south-korea-suspend-striking-doctors-licenses-en-masse" target="_blank" rel="noopener">steps to suspend the licenses</a> of the strikers but added he doesn't want to punish the young doctors. This implies that his government is willing to soften punitive measures on the strikers if they return to work soon.Yoon recently ordered officials to pursue "a flexible measure" to resolve the dispute and seek constructive consultations with doctors at the request of ruling party leader Han Dong-hoon.It's unclear if the government and doctors can find a breakthrough to settle their standoff anytime soon. Last week, KMA elected Lim Hyun-taek, a hardliner who has called for a decrease in the medical school admission cap, as its new chief.After his election Tuesday, Lim said that doctors can sit down for talks with the government if Yoon apologizes and dismisses top health officials involved in the recruitment plan. Lim also threatened to launch an all-out fight if any doctors receive punitive steps over their recent protests.The striking junior doctors represent a fraction of the total doctors <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/world/world-regions/south-korea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in South Korea</a> — estimated at 115,000 by Yoon and 140,000 by a doctors' association. But in some major hospitals, they account for about 30% to 40% of doctors, assisting qualified doctors and department chiefs during surgeries and other treatments while training.Doctors say the government enrollment plan lacks measures to resolve key medical issues such as how to increase the number of physicians in some key but unpopular professions. They say newly recruited students would also try to work in the capital region and in high-paying fields like plastic surgery and dermatology. They say the government plan would also likely result in doctors performing unnecessary treatments due to increased competition.

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published: 2024-04-01 15:46:01.000000000 Z
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 guid: https://www.foxnews.com/world/south-korean-president-calls-doctors-strike-grave-threat-society-refuses-concede
title: South Korean president calls doctors' strike 'grave threat to our society,'
 refuses to concede
categories:
- b25d5d4d-afbe-502c-a947-aff0a0fd1f34
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- Fox News
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- article
content: South Korea’s president vowed Monday not to back down in the face of vehement
 protests by doctors seeking to derail his plan to drastically increase medical school
 admissions, as he called their walkouts "an illegal collective action" that poses
 "a grave threat to our society."About 12,000 medical interns and residents
 in South Korea have been on strike for six weeks, causing hundreds of canceled surgeries
 and other treatments at university hospitals. In support of their action, many senior
 doctors at their teaching schools <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/south-korea-doctors-strike-escalates-senior-doctors-resign"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">have also submitted resignations</a> though they
 haven’t stopped treating patients.Officials say they want to raise the yearly
 medical school cap by 2,000 from the current 3,058 to create more doctors to deal
 with the country’s rapidly aging population. Doctors counter that schools can’t
 handle such an abrupt increase in students and that it would eventually hurt the
 country’s medical services. But critics say doctors, one of the best-paid professions
 in South Korea, are simply worried that the supply of more doctors would result
 in lower future incomes.<a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/kim-jong-un-praises-top-tank-unit-encourages-war-preparations-tensions-south-korea"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">KIM JONG UN PRAISES TOP TANK UNIT, ENCOURAGES
 WAR PREPARATIONS AMID TENSIONS WITH SOUTH KOREA</a>Public surveys
 show that a majority of ordinary South Koreans support the government plan. But
 observers say many people are increasingly fed up with the protracted confrontation
 between the government and doctors, threatening to deal a blow to governing party
 candidates ahead of next week’s parliamentary elections.In a nationally televised
 address, President Yoon Suk Yeol said adding 2,000 medical students is the minimum
 increase needed to address a shortage of physicians in rural areas, the military
 and essential but low-paying professions like pediatrics and emergency departments.
 Yoon said South Korea's doctor-to-patient ratio — 2.1 physicians per 1,000 people
 — is far below the average of 3.7 in the developed world."Increasing the
 number of doctors is a state project that we can't further delay," Yoon said.Yoon
 urged the striking doctors to return to work, saying they have a responsibility
 to protect people's lives in line with the local medical law. He also said the government
 remains open to talks if doctors come up with a unified proposal that adequately
 explains their calls for a much smaller increase in the medical school enrollment
 quota."I can't tolerate an attempt to carry through their thoughts by force
 without due logic and grounds," Yoon said. "The illegal collective action by some
 doctors has become a grave threat to our society."Yoon said the recruitment
 plan won't lead to lower earnings for doctors, citing what he called expected increases
 in national income and demand for medical services in the fast-aging society. He
 said the average income of South Korean doctors is the highest in the developed
 world.Later Monday, the Korean Medical Association, which represents doctors
 in South Korea, criticized Yoon for repeating what his government has already argued
 to support the recruitment plan."It was an address that brought us greater
 disappointment because we had high hopes" for some changes in the government's position,
 Kim Sung-geun, a spokesperson for KMA’s emergency committee, told reporters.Yoon
 said the government is taking final administrative <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/why-south-korea-suspend-striking-doctors-licenses-en-masse"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">steps to suspend the licenses</a> of the strikers
 but added he doesn't want to punish the young doctors. This implies that his government
 is willing to soften punitive measures on the strikers if they return to work soon.Yoon
 recently ordered officials to pursue "a flexible measure" to resolve the dispute
 and seek constructive consultations with doctors at the request of ruling party
 leader Han Dong-hoon.It's unclear if the government and doctors can find
 a breakthrough to settle their standoff anytime soon. Last week, KMA elected Lim
 Hyun-taek, a hardliner who has called for a decrease in the medical school admission
 cap, as its new chief.After his election Tuesday, Lim said that doctors can
 sit down for talks with the government if Yoon apologizes and dismisses top health
 officials involved in the recruitment plan. Lim also threatened to launch an all-out
 fight if any doctors receive punitive steps over their recent protests.The
 striking junior doctors represent a fraction of the total doctors <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/category/world/world-regions/south-korea"
 target="_blank" rel="noopener">in South Korea</a> — estimated at 115,000 by Yoon
 and 140,000 by a doctors' association. But in some major hospitals, they account
 for about 30% to 40% of doctors, assisting qualified doctors and department chiefs
 during surgeries and other treatments while training.Doctors say the government
 enrollment plan lacks measures to resolve key medical issues such as how to increase
 the number of physicians in some key but unpopular professions. They say newly recruited
 students would also try to work in the capital region and in high-paying fields
 like plastic surgery and dermatology. They say the government plan would also likely
 result in doctors performing unnecessary treatments due to increased competition.
summary: South Korea&apos;s president said he would not give in to striking doctors&apos;
 opposition to dramatically increasing medical student quotas, claiming the country
 needs more doctors.
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url: https://www.foxnews.com/world/south-korean-president-calls-doctors-strike-grave-threat-society-refuses-concede
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 newspaper: US general38
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