Residents to Discuss Whether to Continue Indefinite Strike Tonight

Daejeon Association Reaches Tentative Agreement with Training Hospital Council
Training Hospital Council Proposes "Establishing Medical-Government Council for Re-discussion from the Beginning"

On the 7th, residents participated in the "National Doctors' General Strike Rally Against the Promotion of the Four Major Medical Evils Policy" held near Yeouido Park in Seoul, urging opposition to the expansion of medical school quotas. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Residents who have been on an indefinite strike since the 21st in protest against the government's expansion of medical school quotas are entering final discussions on whether to end their collective action.

According to the medical community on the 29th, the Korean Intern Resident Association and the Medical Education and Training Hospital Council will hold an emergency nationwide committee meeting at 10 p.m. on the 29th at the Seoul Medical Association building to reconsider whether to continue the strike.

A 'tentative' agreement was also reached in the medical-government consultative body, composed of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, to discuss government medical policies such as the expansion of medical school quotas and the establishment of public medical schools from scratch.

There is also a declaration that if the National Assembly or the government unilaterally pushes forward related policies, residents will stop all work, and the medical community, including medical school students, will respond jointly.

The Korean Intern Resident Association reportedly received a promise from the National Assembly to halt the promotion of related bills until the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) stabilizes, and to establish a consultative body within the National Assembly including the KMA and the Korean Intern Resident Association to keep all possibilities open for discussion.

Before entering the meeting, Park Ji-hyun, president of the Korean Intern Resident Association, conveyed through social networking services (SNS), "The direction of future collective actions will be decided at the emergency nationwide committee meeting of the Korean Intern Resident Association at 10 p.m. today."

She added, "The document signed together with the Medical Education and Training Hospital Council is not an agreement with the government," and "If (the agreement with the government) goes wrong in the future, we can always take collective action."

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