Abstract

The South Korean doctors’ strike, which began on February 20, 2024, is a response to the Government of South Korea’s policy to increase medical student enrollment. This policy is intended to address healthcare disparities between urban and rural areas. However, doctors were united in opposition due to inadequate medical infrastructure in rural regions, excessive workloads, and insufficient compensation. The strike has resulted in mass resignations, medical delays, and public health crises, even after the government modified the policy in an attempt to reach a compromise. It represented the conflict between the government and the medical community, emphasizing the need for comprehensive healthcare reform that goes beyond merely increasing enrollment.

2024 South Korean doctors' strike

The South Korean doctors' strike has been ongoing since February 20, 2024. It started with the government’s policy to increase the number of medical students enrolled. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), South Korea has one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios among its member countries—only 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people compared to 5.5 doctors per 1,000 people in Austria, which is the top highest ratio. (Davies & Shin, 2024). On February 26, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol proposed an increase of 2,000 medical students per year from 2025 onwards to address the imbalance in the distribution of healthcare between urban and rural areas of the country. However, this move has met strong opposition from the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and many doctors, who argue that merely increasing student numbers is insufficient. They stressed the need for significant improvements in medical resources and treatment conditions to attract and retain doctors. In detail, the medical infrastructure in rural areas is notably underfunded and very poor compared to urban areas such as Seoul. According to the report, Seoul is leading in emergency healthcare accessibility, with nearly 90% of residents reaching urgent care within 30 minutes. In contrast, rural areas like Gangwon, North Gyeongsang, and South Jeolla provinces lag significantly, with only 32.5% to 44% of residents able to access urgent care in the same timeframe (Moon, 2024). Moreover, South Korean doctors receive poor treatment, such as having over 100 hours of work per week, a high incidence of malpractice lawsuits, and compensation that is not commensurate with their workload—one doctor working at a prestigious university hospital in South Korea said the monthly salary, including overtime, is just 2 million to 4 million won (about $1,455 to $2,910), which is significantly lower than the average salary for a first-year resident in the U.S, standing at about $5,000 according to the American Medical Association (Central News Agency, 2024a). These issues lead to many new graduates to prefer positions in urban hospitals, where conditions and resources are relatively superior.