The government has expressed its desire to “flexibly” handle the license suspensions of trainee doctors defying its return-to-work order, moving to engage in dialogue with the medical community.

In a press release on Sunday, the health ministry welcomed the statement of the Medical Professors Association of Korea stating its willingness to engage in constructive dialogue with the government during a meeting with the ruling People Power Party(PPP). 

The ministry plans to take steps to prepare for talks with the medical community through consultation with the Office for Government Policy Coordination to ensure dialogue will begin shortly.

The ministry said it will also consult with the ruling party to seek a flexible way to handle the license suspensions of defiant trainee doctors to minimize the current medical vacuum. 

The move comes after President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday urged Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to consult with the party to take a flexible stance. 

Yoon also asked Han to form a "constructive consultative body" to promote dialogue with medical workers. The order was made at the request of PPP interim chief Han Dong-hoon after he held talks with a group of medical professors earlier in the day.

Monday is the deadline for trainee doctors notified of the government’s return-to-work order to submit their opinions on the notice. If they miss the deadline, their medical licenses could be suspended from Tuesday. 

Medical school professors also plan to tender their resignations on Monday to urge the government to withdraw its plan to suspend the medical licenses of striking trainee doctors and to reconsider its plan to increase the medical school admissions quota.