The Korea Medical Association(KMA) has warned of a possible strike as it strongly condemned the government’s move to increase the medical student quota.

The KMA said on Sunday that the government’s unilateral pursuit of the increase violates the 2020 agreement to consult with doctors on any hike, denouncing the move as a “declaration of war” on the country’s medical care.

The KMA president Lee Pil-soo on Sunday warned that if the government unilaterally pushes ahead with the increase, the doctors’ group will set up an emergency committee as early as Monday to vote on whether to stage a general strike.

Lee issued the warning in his opening remarks at a KMA meeting on the matter in Seoul, proceeding to shave his head in protest after the meeting.

The move comes after the health and welfare ministry announced last Tuesday the results of a recent survey of 40 medical schools nationwide, which found a desire to increase the combined total of their students to up to two-thousand-847 for the 2025 academic year.