Medical professors in South Korea begin mass resignations

On March 25, medical professors at many universities in Korea began submitting resignations and reducing working hours to support trainee doctors.

Medical professors in South Korea are the senior doctors at major university hospitals. The move shows that the medical tension that has lasted for more than a month in South Korea shows no signs of abating despite the government's efforts to call for dialogue.

The Korean Association of Medical Professors said professors from 19 of the nation's 40 medical schools signed a joint statement opposing the government's plan to increase enrollment quotas and announced they would begin submitting resignation applications on the same day.

The group of professors also reduced their working hours to 52 hours a week by adjusting the schedule of surgeries and other treatments until their resignations were accepted. They said they would only negotiate if the government scrapped plans to increase enrollment quotas.

Medical professors at Yonsei University School of Medicine, one of the largest medical schools in South Korea, have resigned en masse. However, the exact number has not been disclosed. The University of Ulsan's School of Medicine has also taken a similar step, with 433 of its approximately 1,000 professors resigning.

Meanwhile, medical school professors at Seoul National University and Seoul National University Hospital have also begun submitting resignations.

The collective action by medical professors has raised concerns that it will further paralyze health care services across the country.

On the same day, South Korean Health and Welfare Minister Cho Gyu-hong said that following President Yoon Suk Yeol's directive to flexibly handle administrative procedures for trainee doctors, the ministry has begun practical steps to consult with political parties to have an open dialogue with the medical community to find appropriate solutions to overcome the current deadlock.

A nationwide strike by trainee doctors in South Korea has lasted for more than a month, starting on February 19. About 90% of the 13,000 trainee doctors in South Korea have quit their jobs to protest the government's plan to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000 starting in 2025.

The mass resignation of trainee doctors has disrupted medical services and seriously affected the operations of several major general hospitals in Korea.

The government has been working to keep the emergency health care system running smoothly, while actively working to ease the strain.