A large group of South Korean doctors accepted an offer by President Yoon Suk Yeol to hold a meeting with younger doctors, showing approval to the alleged meeting between the president and junior medical staff amid protests over the increased quota of medical staff.
The head of the emergency committee at the Korea Medical Association, Kim Taek-woo, made the statement a day after the presidential office said the president agreed to hold discussions.
Around 12,000 doctors have been on strike since the high number of resignations on February 20th out of protest due to the hike in medical staff quota by 2,000.
Kim added that any meeting between doctors and the president should be “meaningful.” A spokesperson for the emergency committee, Kim Sung-geun, said of any meeting: “Our expectation is that it’s positive.”
He also said the government should ditch the quota hike if it “is sincere about talks with the medical community.”
The issue will likely be a hot-button issue for the upcoming parliamentary elections as the majority People Power Party aims to keep office.
