Senior doctors who both practice medicine and teach medical school students are resigning  across the country.

As of Monday morning, 433 professors at three hospitals affiliated with the University of Ulsan College of Medicine—Asan Medical Center, Ulsan University Hospital, and GangNeung Asan Hospital—had tendered their resignations.

Professors at the Korea University Medical Center also submitted their resignations en masse on the same day.

The Medical Professors Association of Korea (MPAK) demanded two things: the government withdraws its plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 and activate a consultative body between the government and the medical community.

MPAK’s Emergency Committee said professors at Yonsei University College of Medicine also began submitting their resignations on Monday. The Emergency Committee voted at its previous general meeting to voluntarily submit resignations from Monday.

"The attempt to finalize the proposed increase of 2,000 medical school students by allocating quota to each university is an arrogance of the government that ignores the countless sacrifices made to prevent the catastrophe, which takes people and their lives lightly," said 19 medical schools affiliated with the committee, including Seoul National University College of Medicine, in a statement.

They continued, "We accept responsibility for our failure to prevent the catastrophe, and we will resign our teaching positions and leave our teaching hospitals and universities after completing our patient care responsibilities."

They called for the government to withdraw its push for an additional 2,000 admissions quota, set up a dialogue channel, and stop judicial action against the interns and residents so that medical students, trainee doctors, and professors could return to their jobs.

"We have reached the last minute of the golden hour to save Korean healthcare," they said. "The government should rescind the unfounded scheme to increase 2,000 medical school students and immediately hold a genuine dialog to get medical students, junior doctors, and professors back on track."

The professors’ statement continued, "Stop judicial action against trainee doctors and restore their honor. The government should establish a consultative body with the medical community, including trainee doctors, and rebuild the nation’s healthcare policies, including medical school enrollment quota, based on scientific evidence."

Although President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday hinted at softening the government's stance on punitive measures against the striking trainee doctors, around 12,000 interns and residents are refusing to return to work. 

The exodus of junior doctors led to hundreds of cancelled surgeries at major hospitals.