South Korea to review controversial medical quota, likely to end one of longest medical strikes

​​​​​​​By Saadet Gokce

ISTANBUL (AA) - The South Korean government indicated Friday it was open to reviewing a decision to increase the annual medical quota, urging doctors to end one of the world’s longest protest strikes.

The offer was made by Acting President Choi Sang-mok who said the government is amenable to re-evaluating the medical admissions quota for 2026, Yonhap News reported.

The government decided to increase medical seats by 1,500 for the 2025 academic session to increase by 10,000 over five years to tackle a doctor shortage.

The decision, however, triggered a year-long protest by doctors, mostly juniors, who walked off work last February.

The government had to deploy military doctors to meet medical emergencies as many hospitals shut partially.

South Korea has a rapidly aging population and is expected to have the largest share of people aged 65 years or older in the world by 2044.

That makes health care reforms and increasing medical personnel numbers a critical priority, but doctors insist the government must first improve their existing working conditions.