South Korea sets deadline for striking doctors to return to work
Al Jazeera
Officials say striking young doctors have until the end of February to return to work or risk being punished.
South Korea’s government has given striking young doctors four days to report back to work, warning they will face indictment and suspension of medical licences if they do not return by the deadline.
The ultimatum on Monday came as about 9,000 medical interns and residents stayed off the job to protest against a government plan to increase medical school admissions by about 65 percent.
The work stoppages, which began last week, have severely hurt the operations of their hospitals, with numerous cancellations of surgeries and other treatments.
Safety Minister Lee Sang-min said chaos was mounting in hospitals and emergency services had reached a “dangerous situation” due to the strikes.
“Considering the gravity of the situation, the government issues the last plea,” he said.
