Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun has urged the Korean Medical Association(KMA) to scrap its plan to stage a strike this Friday.
Chung made the call on Wednesday when he chaired a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
He said collective action that risks the lives and safety of the people will not be able to gain public trust or support.
Chung urged the KMA to promptly engage in dialogue with the government. He cited that it has already accepted the association’s proposal to form a consultative body to address concerns about the decision to expand the admission quota at medical schools and establish a public medical school.
Chung defended the government’s decision, saying South Korea has far less doctors compared to the average in member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He also said the gap in medical services is wide among regions, noting that more than half of the doctors in the nation are based in Seoul and its surrounding areas.