The government's announcement that it will increase the enrollment quota of medical students by up to 1,000 is rocking the medical community.

The medical community has warned that if the government unilaterally increases the number of doctors in the name of "saving essential medical care," it will have no choice but to follow in the footsteps of the collective action in 2020.

"The government is talking about increasing the number of medical schools for political reasons," said Kim Dong-seok, chairman of the Korean Medical Practitioners Association (KMPA), meeting with reporters during an academic conference on Sunday. "The government must be held accountable for pushing in defiance of the medical community's opposition."

Kim noted that the current discussion on increasing the number of medical schools is "running in one direction without any consultation or process, just because it's the president's will," he said.

He added that the political sphere is "just saying that we need more doctors without explaining why we need more doctors." The government is "talking about increasing the number of doctors by 10,000 in 10 years, without a concrete plan."

"If they ignore experts’ opinions, the public will suffer," Kim said. “If the government pushes it unilaterally, unfortunate things will happen. We have no choice but to strike or struggle in other ways."

He noted that the Korean Medical Association would hold a national assembly on Tuesday, adding his organization would support any decision it would make. "If a stronger struggle group is formed, we will mobilize our members and actively cooperate," Kim added.

The KMPA head emphasized that the solution to the current healthcare crisis is not more doctors but their "realignment."

"There is no shortage of doctors. There is an overabundance of doctors. They do not specialize in (essential medical care). What doctors will do surgery or treat dangerous diseases if you detain them and hold them liable for 1 billion won in compensation," he asked, emphasizing that "relocating doctors so that they can work in their specialties should come first (before increasing the workforce)."

He said the government must normalize medical fees and reduce liability to do so.

"It needs to pay doctors fairly and enact a special law to deal with medical accidents," he said, adding that increasing the number of medical schools can be discussed after reallocating the existing workforce first.

"If there is a shortage of doctors even after reorganizing the workforce, we need to plan how many more doctors are needed and how to utilize them," Kim said. "We shouldn't just say, 'If we increase the number of doctors by 1,000, we will solve essential medical care.'"

Kim Jae-yoo, president of the Korean Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, also called for a special law on medical malpractice and guidelines for civil litigation.

"If we exempt criminal liability and standardize civil compensation for good faith medical actions, we won't have to wait 10 years (to see the effect of increasing medical school seats),” he said. “Just those two things will save essential medicine."

Kim said, “Without these systemic improvements, even if we increase the number of doctors by 500 and by 1,000, it is impossible to save essential medicine."

Jua Hun-jeong, president of the Korean General Practitioners Association, noted that even if the government increases the number of medical school students, at least 30 to 40 percent will specialize in general medicine.

"Even now, half of the members of our association have given up their specialty and opened a general practice. The number is increasing. The size of the general medical association is now second only to internal medicine," he said.

Jua noted that doctors are sued for hundreds of millions of won for treating patients. That reality is hard, so they fall into (cosmetic surgery). The cosmetic surgery market is also a red ocean. But even if they are sued for a billion won, they can still get 5 million won or 10 million won in this market, so (doctors) see it as reasonable.

"The government’s policy is fundamentally wrong. We call for the Korean Medical Association's Congress of Delegates and the executive to take action. I will request a stronger response. If necessary, we will propose a struggle," he said. "If the government forcibly pushes to increase the number of medical school students, we must fight with the determination of death like in 2020."