SEOUL—The Korean Medical Association (KMA), representing over 129,000 members, may initiate a significant walkout on June 20 in response to a government decision to increase medical school admissions.
According to Yonhap News Agency, more than 70,000 KMA members, accounting for 54.8 percent of the total membership, participated in a recent vote conducted over four days starting last Tuesday. The outcome of this vote, which will determine the occurrence of the walkout, is set to be announced at a meeting scheduled for Sunday.
This meeting is expected to be a pivotal moment, described by the KMA as potentially “the largest collective action in history.” It will involve professors, paid doctors, and practitioners uniting for a common cause. This announcement follows the decision by doctors at four major hospitals affiliated with Seoul National University to begin their walkout starting June 17.
The potential strike is a reaction to the government’s recent resolution to raise the admission quotas at medical schools by approximately 1,500, the first such increase in 27 years. This policy change has already prompted thousands of trainee doctors to abstain from their duties earlier this year, signaling widespread unrest within the medical community over the new admissions strategy.