South Korea has taken action sanctions against approximately 7,000 doctors who went on strike

The South Korean Ministry of Health announced that procedures have begun to suspend the licenses of approximately 7,000 intern doctors who have resisted the government’s order to return to work.
Tension persists between intern doctors and the government in South Korea. The South Korean government did not backtrack on imposing punitive measures on doctors who went on strike to protest the plan to admit more medical students to universities. The South Korean Ministry of Health announced that procedures have begun to suspend the licenses of approximately 7,000 intern doctors who have resisted the government’s order to return to work. South Korean Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong stated today that the doctors’ strike action is “illegal” and said, “The government’s stance against illegal collective actions by intern doctors is clear.”
Deputy Health Minister Park Min-soo stated that the government has taken steps to punish intern doctors who have left their workplaces. Park emphasized that “There is no turning back from these sanctions,” and highlighted that punitive measures would also negatively affect the doctors’ future careers. Park, using the expressions “The government will conduct on-site inspections to identify legal violations. After these inspections, necessary penalties will be imposed within the framework of laws and regulations,” stated, “The penalties to be imposed on key officials responsible for the mass action causing chaos in the healthcare sector will be severe and swiftly implemented.”
License cancellation, imprisonment, or fines are imminent.
Intern doctors serving in training hospitals in South Korea started a strike on February 20 to protest the government’s plan to admit more medical students to universities. While the South Korean government gave the doctors who participated in the strike until February 29 to return to work, it was stated that doctors who did not return to their duties could face medical license cancellation for up to one year, imprisonment for up to 3 years, or a fine of up to 30 million won. However, it was reported to the public that out of the thousands of doctors who went on strike, only 565 returned to their duties. Finally, the Seoul police raided the centers of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and the Seoul Medical Association (SMA), alleging that officials who supported the strike had their cell phones and computers examined.