Professors from 19 medical schools have formed a joint emergency committee to respond to the government's plan to boost the number of doctors in the country and have agreed to decide by Friday whether to resign en masse.

At an online meeting of representatives from the 19 medical schools' emergency committees on Tuesday, the participants agreed to ask professors of each medical school and teaching hospital about the proposed collective action and to decide by Friday whether to submit resignations.

For professors at the medical schools of Seoul National University and the University of Ulsan, who have already decided to resign, the timing of their resignations will be decided at the next meeting.

The representatives said they have set up the joint committee to deal with the imminent legal action against trainee doctors and medical students' collective action in protest of a planned increase in medical school admissions quota, describing the situation as an emergency.

They added their goal is to help medical students and trainee doctors safely return to their positions to finish their education and training, calling on the government to set up negotiations so that they can return.