Gov't backs off threat to punish striking junior doctors

The government on Monday said it would not impose administrative penalties on striking junior doctors regardless of whether they return, retreating from its original threat to punish them severely.

Medical professionals walk inside a corridor at a general hospital in Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

The government on Monday said it would not impose administrative penalties on striking junior doctors regardless of whether they return, retreating from its original threat to punish them severely.

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said the government would not penalize junior doctors and would grant special “exceptions” so they could continue to pursue their medical careers during a briefing at Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters on the same day.

The government had previously threatened to take administrative measures to harshly punish junior doctors who have staged a five-month walkout to protest the government's medical school admissions quota hike, including penalties such as suspension of medical licenses.

The minister said the measures announced on Monday reflected a “determination to resolve the medical vacuum swiftly.”

Cho said the decision is in the “public interest,” adding that the government “humbly accepts criticism" that the move might be unfair to junior doctors who remained at their posts.

Although the specifics of these exceptions have yet to be decided, they are expected to allow doctors who resigned to resume their training in September and convene exams for medical specialty licenses twice a year to help junior doctors avoid significant career delays.

Although junior doctors will escape punishments, the extent of career delays will likely vary.

Only junior doctors who return are eligible for exceptions. Thus, those who refuse to return to hospitals until the very last will be unable to take advantage of the remedies.

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong speaks during a briefing at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters at the government complex in central Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

Cho asked training hospitals to complete processing resignations filed by junior doctors in February and confirm the number of vacant spots by July 15 so that fall-semester recruitment can begin on July 22.

Unlike previous recruitments in recent years, which opened limited slots in essential medical fields such as obstetrics and emergency medicine, the upcoming recruitment in July will fill all vacancies caused by junior doctors who resigned — regardless of medical departments.

“Those who return to hospitals or start their training [after getting newly employed at different hospitals] in September will earn their medical specialty licenses around six months later than their original academic schedule,” said Kim Kook-il, Health Ministry official in charge of medical policy during the briefing.

The government not only offered remedies to junior doctors but also invited them to the Special Presidential Committee on Healthcare Reform, saying they could suggest how many seats to add in medical schools at admissions for the 2026 academic year.

Cho also promised to foster an environment for junior doctors serving in essential medical fields — crucial assets of the national medical system — so they could commit to their training. The efforts include reducing junior doctors' work hours and increasing the number of teaching faculty and supervisors.

The minister also promised to build an “innovative and sustainable medical system” where tertiary hospitals could focus on treating emergency patients or those with critical or rare diseases, and secondary general hospitals could provide patient care for those with mild and moderate symptoms.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 1,104 of all 13,756 junior doctors nationwide, or some eight percent, were at work last Thursday.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]