Yoon Seeks to Meet Trainee Doctors amid Medical Reform Feud

President Yoon Suk Yeol is seeking to hold a meeting with trainee doctors who have resigned en masse in protest of the government’s plan to increase the number of doctors in the nation. 

The presidential office on Tuesday informed reporters of Yoon’s intentions, saying the president wants to meet directly with the resident doctors and hear what they have to say.

This came a day after Yoon delivered a televised address, during which he championed his medical reform measures and asked the trainee doctors to return to work.

As the government has been pushing ahead with its plan to increase the annual medical admissions quota by two thousand seats, over 90 percent of the nation’s trainee doctors left their hospitals in protest, calling for a reconsideration. 

The prolonged absence of resident doctors have led to disruptions in medical services at general hospitals across the country. 

The Medical Professors Association of Korea held a briefing earlier on Tuesday, urging the head of the Korea Intern-Resident Association to meet the president when an offer for dialogue is delivered.