After Yoon's exit, Korean doctors press government, lawmakers to fix healthcare

The Korean Medical Association (KMA), a representative group of some 130,000 doctors in Korea, called on the government and the National Assembly to establish a platform for discussions with the medical community to restore "normalcy" in the healthcare system.

At an urgent briefing held at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul, on Tuesday, KMA spokesperson Kim Seong-geun said restoring the healthcare system should be prioritized before a new government takes office.

The KMA's stance came after the Constitutional Court upheld a ruling last Friday to impeach former President Yoon Suk Yeol for his ill-fated martial law declaration on Dec. 3 last year.

"The discussion table should include representatives from the government, the medical community, and the National Assembly. If such a platform is created, we believe that trainee physicians and medical students can also participate in the dialogue," Kim said during the briefing, which was also livestreamed through YouTube channels. 

When asked to define "restoration of healthcare," Kim said it meant "returning to the situation before February 2024 when all citizens could easily access medical care -- before the government's announcement of expanding medical school admission quotas." 

In February last year, the government abruptly announced that it would increase medical school quotas by 2,000, sparking vehement protests from the medical community such as mass resignations of trainee doctors and wave of medical school students taking leaves of absence. 

The KMA clarified that it is not demanding a complete repeal of all healthcare reform measures introduced by the government over the past year. “We are saying that the government should listen to diverse opinions from the medical community, including the KMA, when selecting and implementing future healthcare reform agendas,” Kim explained.

The KMA also cited the Constitutional Court's ruling in the impeachment case of former President Yoon, which stated that a provision of the martial law requiring all trainee doctors who left the field to return within 48 hours was an excessive restriction on constitutional rights, including the freedom to choose one's profession and basic civil liberties.

The KMA argued that this indirectly proves the unconstitutionality of administrative orders such as the work resumption order imposed on junior doctors who withdrew from training after the medical school quota hike was announced.

In addition, the KMA called for the dissolution of the presidential committee on medical reform, a social consultative body tasked with healthcare reform.

“With the president no longer in office, on what grounds should a presidential committee continue to operate?” the KMA questioned, urging the suspension of the committee and a complete restart of medical reform discussions in collaboration with the KMA and the broader medical community.

The KMA also demanded that the government finalize the 2026 medical school quota at 3,058 seats to eliminate related uncertainties.

The association called on the Ministry of Education to conduct detailed inspections of the universities involved to determine whether proper education can be provided.

“If it is determined that quality education cannot be ensured, the number of admissions should be reduced,” Kim said.

The KMA plans to hold a nationwide physicians’ rally near Seoul City Hall on April 20 to urge the government and politicians to take immediate action toward restoring the healthcare system.