Professors at Seoul National University's medical school proposed forming a consultative body involving the public and trainee doctors to make a decision next year regarding the proposed increase in the medical school admissions quota. The professors earlier announced their decision to resign en masse if the government does not seek a resolution to the current dispute over the quota.

At a press conference on Tuesday, the SNU professors' emergency steering committee suggested having a publicly-trusted and verified overseas agency analyze the nation's health care and medical data, before deciding next year on the scale of the increase in the admissions quota.

The committee stressed that there are more urgent issues that need to be addressed, such as reviving essential medicine and public health care amid the low birth rate, and the government's research and development budget cuts in natural sciences and engineering.

The professors proposed drawing up a package of policies over the next year on essential medicine, public health and regional medical services through the new consultative body, which it said should involve the government, the Korean Medical Association(KMA), political parties, the public, professors and trainee doctors.

The professors urged both the government and the KMA to agree to a possible quota increase and come together for talks, while calling on the trainee doctors to return to work once the government and the KMA agree to form the consultative body.