The government has vowed to sternly deal with doctors participating in illegal activities and has pledged to maintain emergency medical care services as doctors are set to stage a collective walkout next week.

Vice Minister for Disaster and Safety Management Yi Han-kyung made the pledge on Thursday during a government meeting on doctors’ collective action. 

The vice minister said that if people report any damages suffered as a result of the walkout via a related call center, the central government and local municipalities will do their best to provide support. 

Urging doctors to stay beside their patients, Yi said that the government will work to persuade doctors to withdraw the plan to strike until the last minute and sternly deal with any illegal activities. 

He also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining emergency care services to minimize disruptions in medical services. 

Earlier, the Korea Medical Association, the nation’s largest doctors’ group, announced that it will launch an all-out strike Tuesday, while medical professors of Seoul National University and Yonsei University decided to indefinitely suspend medical services from Monday and June 27, respectively.