Amid escalating tensions following raids of the Korean Medical Association(KMA) and moves to punish trainee doctors protesting the government's medical school admissions quota increase, the KMA is set to stage a rally in Seoul on Sunday.

While the KMA forecasts some 20-thousand members to take part in the rally at Yeouido Park, the association's emergency steering committee said its members could also suspend patient consultation for one or two days depending on the situation.

KMA and other doctors' groups said the government is portraying the doctors as criminals, in response to the raid of current and former KMA executives and issuance of public notice for trainee doctors absent during the government's serving of return-to-work orders.

The KMA raid was conducted over charges of violating the Medical Services Act, obstruction of business, instigation and abetting, as they are suspected of supporting trainee doctors' mass resignations.

With the government's Thursday deadline for doctors' return-to-work order passed, the health ministry is expected to first seek punishment, including a minimum three-month license suspension, against leadership of the Korean Intern Resident Association(KIRA) and those at training hospitals.