The Korea Medical Association(KMA) has warned that it will launch a general strike if the government unilaterally pushes ahead with a plan to increase the enrollment quota for medical schools without consultation.

The KMA issued the warning in an emergency press conference in Seoul on Tuesday ahead of the government’s expected announcement of the extent of the expansion.

KMA President Lee Pil-soo said that despite repeated proposals from the medical community, the government is pursuing unilateral policies without sufficient discussion and consultation with the group.

The KMA chief then warned that if the government proceeds without talking with the medical community, the group will immediately begin procedures for a general strike while discussing the results of its survey of members conducted in December about a massive strike to protest the government’s plan to increase the quota.

The KMA executive branch also plans to resign en masse and immediately convene an extraordinary general meeting of delegates to form an emergency committee.

The government’s health and medical policy committee will hold a meeting on Tuesday afternoon to deliberate and decide on the scale of the medical school admissions quota expansion, with the results to be announced right after the meeting.

The number of students enrolled in the 2025 school year is expected to increase between one-thousand-500 and two-thousand from the current three-thousand-58, which has been fixed since 2006.