Gov't considering criminal complaints against agitating doctors

The government on Tuesday said it is considering filing criminal complaints against trainee doctors who encouraged others to walk off their jobs in protest of the government’s plan to increase the enrollment quota at medical schools.

Medical professors at Kangwon National University shave their heads in front of the school on Tuesday to protest the university's request to increase its enrollment quota from 49 to 140. [KANGWON NATIONAL UNIVERSITY]

The government on Tuesday said it is considering filing criminal complaints against trainee doctors who encouraged others to walk off their jobs in protest of the government’s plan to increase the enrollment quota at medical schools.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 8,983 resident doctors, or 90 percent of junior doctors at 100 major teaching hospitals nationwide, had left their jobs as of 8 p.m. Monday.

The government inspected 50 hospitals and received written reports from the rest. The ministry said it would inspect the other 50 hospitals on Tuesday.

On the same day, the Health Ministry said it would begin administrative procedures to suspend the doctors’ licenses.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety confirmed that it had secured “evidence” that some 7,000 trainee doctors had not resumed work despite the government’s order to return to their workplaces.

“The government will strictly respond according to law and principle to trainee doctors who are not fulfilling their responsibilities as medical professionals,” Lee Han-kyung, the Interior Ministry’s chief disaster management official, said during a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting.

The official added that the government will secure personnel "to minimize confusion at hospitals and fill the health care vacuum."

A doctor passes an emergency room at a hospital in Seoul on Tuesday. The government on the same day said it would go forward with administrative procedures against some 7,000 trainee doctors who have still not returned to work. [YONHAP]

As the mass walkout enters its third week, the government stressed it is maintaining its emergency health care system, with around 37 percent of hospital beds and 79 percent of emergency rooms operating as of noon Monday.

A total of 139 patients had been treated at military hospitals as of noon Tuesday after these facilities were opened to the public for over two weeks, according to the Defense Ministry.

Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during a press briefing on Tuesday that the government also plans to file criminal complaints against those who have “encouraged collective actions” among trainee doctors. However, Park added that no specific plans have been set, adding that particular details will be announced after additional consultation.

Five leaders of the Korean Medical Association, the country’s largest medical lobbying group, will be called in for police investigations starting Wednesday. Police requested the Ministry of Justice to ban all five from leaving the country a day earlier.

A patient and her guardian at a hospital in Seoul pass by a television screen broadcasting the government's press briefing on trainee doctors' strike on Tuesday. [NEWS1]

Meanwhile, protests are also arising at medical schools as universities apply for a more-than-expected increase in enrollment quotas for the 2025 academic year.

According to the Ministry of Education, 40 medical schools nationwide applied for an enrollment quota increase of 3,401 spots, far exceeding the number announced by the government.

Eight universities in Seoul asked for an increase of 365, and five medical schools in Gyeonggi and Incheon by 565. A total of 27 universities outside of the greater Seoul area requested 2,471 additional spots.

In a Health Ministry survey last November, the 40 medical schools said they could increase their enrollment quota by 2,847.

Around ten medical professors at Kangwon National University shaved their heads on Tuesday morning to protest their school’s plan to increase its enrollment quota from 49 to 140.

The professors had earlier suggested that increasing the quota to 100 would be appropriate for now.

“Many medical professors said they oppose the enrollment quota hike, but the school has made the opposite decision,” said Ryu Se-min, the head of Kangwon National University’s medical school.

Five medical professors at Wonkwang University tendered resignations following the school's request to the Education Ministry to double its enrollment quota from 93 to 186.

Around 5,400 medical students applied for leave of absence as of 6 p.m. Monday, according to the Education Ministry.

However, more students are presumed to have left school as the Education Ministry excluded those who did not go through proper procedures or were unqualified for the leave. Over 13,000 medical students had applied for leaves of absence as of last Wednesday.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]