Seoul: The government has announced that trainee doctors who had previously resigned from their positions will be allowed to resume their training at their former hospitals. This decision, revealed by the health ministry on Thursday, aims to resolve a prolonged impasse initiated by the former administration's decision to significantly increase medical school admissions.
According to Yonhap News Agency, those reentering through the second-half recruitment process, scheduled from August 11 to 31, will also be permitted to defer their mandatory military service until they complete their residency. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official described the decision as the "maximum possible action the government can take at this time."
The standoff began in February 2024, when thousands of trainee doctors walked off their jobs, and numerous medical students boycotted classes in protest against the government's plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000, raising the total to around 5,000 annually starting in 2025. Although the government later reversed this decision, returning the 2026 admissions quota to its previous level of about 3,000, a full return to hospitals and universities by trainee doctors and medical students has yet to be achieved.
On July 25, a consultative body was established, comprising representatives from the government and trainee doctors, to discuss conditions for a phased return to work. The Korea Intern Resident Association (KIRA), representing junior doctors, has urged the government to form a consultative body led by front-line medical professionals to review the previous administration's essential health care policy package. Furthermore, the group has called for improvements in the residency training environment and the establishment of a legal framework to alleviate the liability burden on doctors involved in medical accidents.
The government has indicated plans to hold further policy discussions every two weeks, focusing on residency training conditions and other related issues.