2024 South Korean medical crisis

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2024 South Korean medical crisis

Date	February 20, 2024 (2024-02-20) – present (1 year, 2 weeks and 4 days)
Location	South Korea
Cause	Government plan to increase medical student admission quotas Imbalance of medical service specialties Low insurance payouts and government support High criminalization of doctors Moral panic against doctors

The 2024 South Korean medical crisis is an ongoing healthcare crisis following the announcement of new government policies that would significantly increase medical student admission quotas. Thousands of residents and interns have since resigned, resulting in medical school professors working to cover. This forced non-urgent, less complicated patients to no longer be treated at tertiary care facilities, leading to financial concerns at large university hospitals, as well as public anxiety about timely treatment.^[1]

The healthcare system struggles with doctor shortages, overworked staff, low reimbursement rates, and insufficient government support. Mass resignations, student boycotts, and protests reflect deep dissatisfaction of medical professionals. The South Korean government labeled medical professionals' advocacy as "illegal collective actions," declaring a healthcare crisis and launching a smear campaign to portray them as a self-serving cartel. This confrontational approach, reinforced by the President, undermined trust and collaboration in healthcare reform.