SEOUL, Oct. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said Friday that the government would have a “more open attitude” as he renewed calls for doctors to join talks to resolve a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors against the government’s medical reform. For about seven months, thousands of junior doctors have walked [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 25 (Korea Bizwire) – As the South Korean government moves to address medical shortages by allowing foreign-licensed doctors to practice, new data reveals that only 54.5% of foreign medical school graduates passed a key qualifying exam, raising concerns about the quality of care such a policy might introduce. The preliminary examination for medical licenses, [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Korea Bizwire) — Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Thursday strongly denounced a “blacklist” of emergency room doctors drawn up to name and shame those not participating in the walkout by junior doctors, vowing to take stern action against those responsible. The list contains personal information and malicious comments about emergency room physicians [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The number of cancer surgeries decreased significantly in the first five months after a junior doctors’ strike began in February, data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) showed Monday. Between February and June, the number of patients who underwent cancer surgeries at upper-class general hospitals nationwide [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) — President Yoon Suk Yeol is open to readjusting the country’s medical school admission quota for 2026 and would welcome it if a negotiating panel is formed between the rival parties, the government and the medical community to discuss the issue, an official said Friday. The position raises hope for [...]
CHUNGNAM, Sept. 6 (Korea Bizwire) – In a dramatic display of frustration, farmers across seven cities and counties in South Korea’s South Chungcheong Province took to their fields on September 5, using tractors to plow under their rice crops just weeks before harvest. The action came as part of a larger protest organized by the South [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – A fierce “recruitment war” is unfolding across South Korea as hospitals scramble to staff their emergency rooms, highlighting a growing crisis in the country’s healthcare system. Some hospitals are offering annual salaries of up to 400 million won for emergency medicine specialists, yet still struggle to fill positions. The situation [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – The health ministry on Wednesday began deploying military doctors and public physicians to hospital emergency rooms suffering from staff shortages, but concerns about further disruptions to the health care system have grown, officials said. The government deployed 15 military doctors to assist in emergency rooms of five hospitals, including [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — In a move that has been hailed as historic by some and met with apprehension by others, South Korea’s National Assembly passed a new nursing law on August 28, ending a 19-year wait for legislation specifically governing the nursing profession. The law, which is set to take effect within nine [...]
SEOUL, Sept. 3 (Korea Bizwire) — In a stark contradiction to government assurances, a coalition of medical school professors in South Korea has painted a grim picture of the nation’s healthcare system, claiming that many emergency rooms are already unable to provide normal care. The group asserts that punishing those responsible for the healthcare breakdown and [...]