Medical school professors said both the government and the medical community should make concessions to resolve the current situation. Still, the government has stuck to its stance of increasing the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 per year.

Bang Jae-seung, head of the National Medical School Faculty Emergency Committee, and Jang Sang-yoon, senior presidential secretary for social affairs, said so on a CBS Radio talk show on Monday morning.

Bang said the professors' resignations are the "last card" to break the confrontation between the government and the medical community, urging both the government and the medical community to bend their positions and come to the dialog table.

"If the current situation is not resolved within March and moves on to April, it will lead to the complete collapse of Korean healthcare, starting with the flunking of medical students, followed by the administrative punishment of interns and residents, and the massive insolvencies of large hospitals," Bang said.

Bang urged both the government and the medical community to bend their positions.

"We need to resolve the turmoil before April comes, but no one is willing to make concessions. To show our sincerity, we decided to play the 'last card' that professors can play. We ask them to make concessions and return to the dialog table. It's also an appeal of sorts to medical residents to come back."

However, the government has stuck to its position that it can discuss increasing the number of medical school admissions. Still, it cannot change its position to increase the number of medical students by 2,000 per year.

Responding to criticism that not only the medical community but also the government was unwilling to budge on the increase of 2,000 admissions, leading to the ongoing medical shortage, Jang said, "We are willing to open a dialog now and discuss regardless of the topic. We will explain why the government decided to increase the number of medical students by 2,000, citing scientific and logical reasons."

Noting that the government is “open” to the scope of the increase as an agenda item, Jang, however, said, “We are asking the medical community to provide the basis for an additional 350 students. When it comes to discussing workforce demand and supply, one cannot say, for instance, 500 is too many and 300 is adequate.”

The Ministry of Health and Welfare also reiterated that the government is firm in increasing the number of workers by 2,000 per year.

"The government has a firm idea of increasing the number of doctors by 2,000," Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Park Min-soo said at a daily briefing at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. "The government has made the decision based on scientific evidence and shared opinions with the medical community and all walks of life in society over the past year."

Park continued, “If the medical community comes up with a more objective, more scientific, and rational basis, there is no reason why we can't discuss it. I understand that the presidential office also revealed its position in that context. The government's position remains unchanged."