Government Orders 278 Residents and Fellows to Start Work... 6.5% Closure Rate of Local Clinics

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The government has issued individual work commencement orders to 278 residents and fellows who went on a collective strike in protest of the expansion of medical school quotas.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced on the 29th that it had issued work commencement orders to 278 individuals participating in the collective strike at 20 training hospitals nationwide, based on the results of on-site inspections conducted the previous day.

Earlier, on the 26th, the government issued work commencement orders to residents and fellows at training hospitals in the metropolitan area, and expanded the scope nationwide the day before. Those who fail to comply with the work commencement orders without justifiable reasons may face license suspension or imprisonment for up to three years, or a fine of up to 30 million won.

The Korean Intern Resident Association (Daehan Jeongong-ui Hyeob-uihoe, Daejeonhyeop) began an indefinite strike on the 21st of this month. As of the previous day, the strike rate was 75.8% among residents and 35.9% among fellows.

Meanwhile, the government stated that there was no major disruption due to the Korean Medical Association's general strike held from the 26th to the 28th of this month. Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Accident Response Headquarters' quarantine team, said, "The closure rate of local clinics the previous day was about 2,141 places, or 6.5%. It is judged that there was no significant inconvenience to the public in using local clinics."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.