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Gov’t Vows Not to Backtrack Increased Medical School Admission Quotas despite Doctors’ Walkout

Gov’t Vows Not to Backtrack Increased Medical School Admission Quotas despite Doctors’ Walkout

SEOUL, Mar. 29 (Korea Bizwire) — The government’s ongoing push for medical reform is for the people, and it cannot be subject to negotiations, the health ministry said Friday, effectively rejecting the medical community’s call for modifying the state plan to markedly raise medical school enrollment quota. More than 90 percent of the country’s 13,000 [...]

Seoul Bus Drivers Go on General Strike, Cause Morning Rush Hour Delays

Seoul Bus Drivers Go on General Strike, Cause Morning Rush Hour Delays

SEOUL, Mar. 28 (Korea Bizwire) — Unionized bus drivers in Seoul went on a general strike Thursday to demand a wage hike, halting the operation of nearly 98 percent of buses running across the capital and causing delays for commuters in the morning rush hour. In their last-minute wage negotiations conducted from Wednesday till early [...]

Medical School Quota Hike ‘Prerequisite’ for Medical Service Normalization: Interior Minister

Medical School Quota Hike ‘Prerequisite’ for Medical Service Normalization: Interior Minister

SEOUL, Mar. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — Increasing the nationwide medical school admission quota is a “prerequisite” for the normalization of the country’s medical services, the interior minister said Wednesday, sticking to the government’s 2,000-seat expansion despite escalating protests from doctors. Interior Minister Lee Sang-min made the remark during a government meeting as the government-medical standoff [...]

Health Ministry Appeals to Defiant Trainee Doctors to Come Forward for Talks

Health Ministry Appeals to Defiant Trainee Doctors to Come Forward for Talks

SEOUL, Mar. 27 (Korea Bizwire) — The health ministry on Wednesday appealed to defiant junior doctors to come forward for talks with the government, as a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors has crippled major hospitals for more than five weeks. Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo urged defiant trainee doctors to “form a responsible delegation [...]

Migrant Worker Groups Call for Stringent Measures as Unpaid Wages Hit 121.5 Billion Won Last Year

Migrant Worker Groups Call for Stringent Measures as Unpaid Wages Hit 121.5 Billion Won Last Year

SEOUL, Mar. 26 (Korea Bizwire) – Migrant worker rights organizations have urged the government to implement robust measures to address the persistent issue of unpaid wages, citing data obtained from the Ministry of Employment and Labor that revealed unpaid salaries for migrant workers reached a staggering 121.5 billion won in 2022.  In a joint statement released [...]

Doctors’ Group to Pick New Leader amid Tense Standoff over Increased Enrollment Quota

Doctors’ Group to Pick New Leader amid Tense Standoff over Increased Enrollment Quota

SEOUL, Mar. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — A major lobby group of community doctors is set to elect a new leader Tuesday, with a prolonged walkout by junior doctors over the increased medical school enrollment quota continuing to disrupt public health services at major hospitals. The Korean Medical Association (KMA), which represents some 100,000 community doctors, [...]

Hotline Opens to Protect Medical Students from Peer Bullying

Hotline Opens to Protect Medical Students from Peer Bullying

SEOUL, Mar. 26 (Korea Bizwire) — The education ministry opened a hotline on Tuesday to protect medical students wanting to return to classes from peer bullying from other students boycotting classes in protest of the government’s increase of the medical school quota. The move came amid reported cases of medical students unwillingly joining the ongoing [...]

Medical Professors Demand Gov’t Scrap Increased Medical School Admission Seats

Medical Professors Demand Gov’t Scrap Increased Medical School Admission Seats

SEOUL, Mar. 25 (Korea Bizwire) — A group of medical professors on Monday demanded the government scrap a reform plan that increased medical school admission seats, saying it would sit down for talks with the government only if the plan is abolished. The demand by the Medical Professors Association of Korea is expected to complicate [...]